France has witnessed a sharp rise in crypto-related violent crime, with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reporting 77 cases of kidnapping, unlawful detention, and extortion linked to digital assets so far in 2026. This marks a significant increase from 45 cases in 2025, and by mid-April, the country had already recorded 41 incidents—equivalent to roughly one attack every two and a half days.
The surge has been partly fueled by data breaches at tax offices and crypto tax service providers, including Waltio, which exposed the names, addresses, and estimated holdings of crypto investors. Criminals then used this information to target high-net-worth individuals, with ransom demands typically ranging from €700,000 to over $1 million in Bitcoin. Victims have included executives from prominent companies such as Ledger, Binance France, The Sandbox, and Paymium. Notably, Ledger co-founder David Balland was kidnapped in January 2025 and released after a ransom was paid, in a case that involved severe violence.
France now accounts for approximately 70% of all global “wrench attacks”—physical assaults aimed at forcing individuals to transfer their cryptocurrency. Authorities have responded with about 200 arrests, including both post-attack apprehensions and preventive operations. In one notable example, suspects were arrested within eight hours of an incident in the Somme region. Investigations revealed that masterminds often recruit teenagers via social media to carry out the crimes, and 88 individuals have been charged across 12 separate investigations.
Interior Minister Nuñez outlined a three-pronged plan to combat the trend: strengthening intelligence sharing, partnering more closely with the digital assets industry group Adan, and enhancing cross-border coordination. Many alleged organizers operate from abroad, and a key suspect was arrested in Tangier, Morocco, in June 2025, after which attacks reportedly ceased abruptly. Meanwhile, 724 sector actors have registered on immediate identification platforms—an 11% increase—and crypto firms are directing more resources toward executive physical security.
The rise in such violent incidents underscores the unique vulnerabilities of crypto holdings, where irreversible transactions make physical theft especially attractive to criminals. The issue is being treated as both an organized crime matter and a sector-wide security challenge, with potential implications for how cryptocurrencies are regulated and perceived globally.
