PQ-NEXT Core with Ramón Martín de Pozuelo, CaixaBank

What drives PQ-NEXT from within? PQ-NEXT Core reveals the minds and teams behind the project. By showcasing the perspectives, insights, and ambitions of those leading its key areas, we uncover the vision and collaboration that shape PQ-NEXT’s vision.

Let’s start by getting to know Ramón Martín de Pozuelo from the CaixaBank, and by introducing the team that will work on the project.

My name is Ramon Martín de Pozuelo, and I work at CaixaBank, where I am involved in cybersecurity and innovation initiatives related to the protection of critical assets and emerging technology risks. Throughout my career at CaixaBank, I have had the opportunity to work on projects focused on strengthening the bank’s security posture, improving risk management capabilities, and supporting the adoption of new technologies in a secure and controlled manner. As cybersecurity evolves, the emergence of quantum computing has become one of the most important long-term challenges for the financial sector. This is what led us to PQ-NEXT. The project offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with leading European organizations, research institutions, and technology providers to better understand the impact of the quantum threat and prepare our infrastructure for the transition to post-quantum cryptography. Being part of this initiative allows us not only to assess future risks but also to contribute to practical solutions that will help protect financial services in the years ahead.

CaixaBank leads the financial-sector pilot within PQ-NEXT. Our team brings together professionals from cybersecurity, cryptography, technology architecture, infrastructure, and innovation areas. We work closely with the project partners to evaluate how quantum-safe technologies can be adopted within a large banking environment. As pilot leaders, our role is not only to provide the use case and deployment environment but also to help define requirements, validate results, and ensure that the proposed solutions address real-world challenges faced by financial institutions.

What problem does your role in the project address in simple terms, and why is it critical for the project’s implementation?

Our role focuses on helping ensure that the project addresses real operational and security needs from the perspective of a large financial institution.

The financial sector depends heavily on cryptography to secure transactions, customer data, authentication systems, and internal communications. Before organisations can migrate to post-quantum cryptography, they need a clear understanding of where and how cryptography is currently being used.

By providing business requirements, operational feedback, and access to realistic banking environments, we help ensure that the solutions developed within PQ-NEXT are practical, scalable, and aligned with the challenges that financial institutions will face during their quantum-safe transformation.

What are the main activities, tasks, and objectives of your work and your work in PQ-NEXT?

Our main objective is to assess how a large financial institution can prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography.

This involves identifying cryptographic assets, evaluating potential quantum-related risks, validating discovery and assessment tools, and understanding the operational impact of future migration activities.

As leaders of the financial-sector pilot, we also coordinate pilot activities, provide the banking use cases, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solutions being tested. Ultimately, our goal is to generate practical knowledge that can help both CaixaBank and the wider financial industry develop realistic strategies for achieving quantum readiness.

Moving on, a personal note. What is the main outcome you personally hope this project will achieve?

Personally, I hope PQ-NEXT helps transform post-quantum security from a theoretical discussion into a practical and actionable roadmap.

Many organisations understand that quantum computing may eventually impact current cryptographic systems, but translating that awareness into concrete actions remains a challenge. I would like this project to provide clear methodologies, best practices, and lessons learned that organisations could use to start their own transition journey with confidence

Looking ahead, what excites you most about the post-quantum era?

What excites me most is the opportunity to build the next generation of cybersecurity foundations.

The transition to post-quantum cryptography is one of the largest security transformations our industry has faced in decades. It requires collaboration between industry, academia, technology providers, and regulators. Being part of that transformation and helping shape a more resilient digital future for financial services is both an exciting and highly motivating challenge.