Alejandro Montblanch

I have always wanted to see quantum in action. Before coming to HSBC, I was a quantum research scientist in academia. I’ve studied and worked at universities around the world, and had papers published in high-profile journals. But I wanted to apply my knowledge to solving real-world problems and doing work that could positively impact large numbers of people.

HSBC is one of the best places to do this. It’s such a large, influential bank that whatever you do has the potential to ripple across industries and sectors. And it’s very serious about preparing for the quantum era. That was a big draw for me.

My role is currently focused on building our quantum defences. Quantum computers will one day become powerful enough to break today’s standards of encryption. Without the right protection, all electronic communications will become insecure. I’m working to protect HSBC and our communication systems against these future threats.

We’re exploring several ways of doing this. An area I own at the bank is quantum key distribution (QKD). This technology uses quantum physics to deliver secret keys between parties that can then be used to encrypt and decrypt sensitive data, keeping them safe from eavesdroppers or cyberattacks by quantum computers. I also work on a number of other technologies, including post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which is very advanced maths that quantum computers cannot crack.

In 2023, we were the first bank to join BT and Toshiba’s quantum-secured metro network. Since then, we’ve been trialling the quantum-secure transmission of test data over fibre-optic cables between our global HQ in London and a data centre 62km away. For example, we used QKD to safeguard AI-powered foreign exchange trading, as part of a world-first trial. It’s exciting to be leading ground-breaking projects with so much potential for the future.

Career path

I didn’t plan to specialise in quantum. I’d always been interested in space and thought I’d study astrophysics eventually. But the more I learned about quantum information, the deeper I wanted to get into this subject, and that became the focus of my studies.

Quantum physics is an intellectual challenge – and it challenges your understanding of the universe. For example, we grow up believing that if you kick a ball against a solid wall, it will bounce back. This field teaches you that it’s not impossible that the ball will in fact appear on the other side of the wall. You learn to see things in terms of probabilities, rather than certainties, and I find it fascinating.

For me, moving into the private sector wasn’t the culture shock you might expect. I’ve adapted easily. I appreciate how international HSBC is, and the fact that I get to work with lots of talented people.

No two days of work are the same. I could be catching up on research papers, meeting our technical partner organisations, investigating how to harness quantum and advanced maths for our security, or engaging with business teams around the bank. A big part of my role is making sure colleagues across the world understand the importance of becoming quantum-safe. For a large, complex organisation like ours, this transition will be challenging — but it’s vital.

Sometimes I deliver lectures and demos to school children, too. A favourite experiment involves equipment known as a Chladni plate. This involves sprinkling sand on to a metal plate and running a violin bow across its edge. This creates sound waves that cause the plate to vibrate and the sand to form patterns. It’s a way to visualise the waves that are relevant in quantum physics.

Outside work, I’m doing distance learning to fit in another degree, in economics. I just love learning and want to keep applying my knowledge to things with practical uses. Another passion of mine is Lego. I love building elaborate models — like cities, for example — from the foundations up. I can see parallels with what I do for a living. After all, quantum is the ultimate theory explaining the behaviour of the smallest building blocks of nature. It’s the very foundation of everything.