French Inside Minister Laurent Nuñez has promised a “extra bold” strategy to tackling crypto ransom assaults after confirming there have been 77 kidnapping, extortion or tried extortion incidents linked to crypto within the first half of 2026.
Nuñez stated Tuesday that the 77 incidents recorded thus far this yr are up sharply from the 45 recorded in all of 2025, in accordance to native outlet BFM Enterprise.
“These are severe issues, and your concern is professional,” he advised the Affiliation for the Improvement of Digital Property (ADAN) as he promised extra authorities help.
France has change into one of many largest scorching spots for crypto wrench assaults, the place criminals use bodily violence to coerce victims into handing over crypto. Roughly 11% of French folks personal cryptocurrencies, in line with ADAN, which equates to about 7.3 million folks.
France’s speedy alert and safety system
Earlier this yr, French authorities launched a devoted prevention platform and a rapid-alert and safety system for crypto holders and professionals, which has attracted 724 sign-ups thus far, Nuñez stated.
Nuñez stated that emergency measures have resulted in 200 arrests, with one current attacker being arrested inside eight hours on Friday, thanks partially to the sufferer utilizing an emergency identification hotline.
Associated: StarkWare introduces ‘Non-public KYC’ to handle private information breaches
Nuñez promised a “extra bold” three-part plan to bolster safety measures for the crypto sector. This contains stronger intelligence-sharing, since legal networks are sometimes based mostly overseas, a deeper partnership with ADAN and higher operational coordination between safety providers.
French wrench assaults on the rise
Blockchain safety agency CertiK reported in Might that wrench assaults globally have been up 41% within the first 4 months of 2026, in contrast with the identical interval final yr, with most assaults in Europe.
The agency stated France is the “epicenter” of assaults due to the presence of a number of flagship business firms and their executives, a “tradition of flexing and voluntary doxxing that continues to be deeply embedded in the neighborhood,” and confirmed publicity from quite a few delicate information leaks.
David Balland, co-founder of French {hardware} pockets maker Ledger, was kidnapped and held for ransom alongside together with his accomplice in January 2025 earlier than being rescued by police.
Ledger suffered one of many business’s most damaging information breaches when its buyer database was hacked in 2020, ensuing within the leak of greater than 270,000 private data and a wave of phishing and wrench assaults that proceed to today.
“France ranks among the many most focused international locations on the planet for this kind of breach,” CertiK stated.
Europe is changing into a hotbed for wrench assaults in 2026. Supply: CertiK
Journal: Bitcoin slides to $58K, XRP hits $1 however onchain information promising: Market Strikes