When Quantum Meets Retail And Fiscalization

InnovationWhen Quantum Meets Retail And FiscalizationByDarko Pavic,Forbes Councils Member.for Forbes Technology CouncilCOUNCIL POSTExpertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based)May 11, 2026, 08:00am EDTDarko Pavic, Founder & CEO of Fiscal Solutions, Retail Technology & Global Fiscalization Expert with 28+ Years of Experience. getty​Huge changes are on the horizon in computing. Artificial intelligence has already transformed the technology agenda, but another shift is now moving from research labs to business reality: quantum computing.At a simple level, quantum computing can be imagined as a dramatic leap in processing power. According to some of the first scientific reports published on the topic, quantum computers will be able to operate far beyond classical systems when it comes to certain tasks. And this is only the beginning.Google CEO Sundar Pichai said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai that quantum computing is roughly where AI was 10 years ago. He said it could become practically useful within the next five to 10 years. At the same time, Google’s head of quantum, Hartmut Neven, said that Google is aiming to launch quantum computing applications within the next five years.The obvious question is: What could this mean for retail and, in particular, for fiscalization, the local compliance rules that tell retailers how transactions must be handled?Fiscalization exists to reduce VAT fraud. That means it's concerned with manipulation, trust and evidence. And this is exactly why quantum computing matters. It does not change the legal purpose of fiscalization, but it could change the reliability of the technical controls on which fiscalization depends.Across the primary fiscalization models most companies use, the same pattern appears again and again: Retail fiscalization relies on a trust layer built from digital signatures, certificates, secure devices, encryp...