France is racing to blunt a wave of crypto-targeted kidnappings and “wrench attacks,” as officials roll out stepped-up protections for digital-asset holders amid a sharp rise in violent crimes tied to cryptocurrencies.
At Paris Blockchain Week on Thursday, Jean-Didier Berger, minister delegate to the interior minister, warned the government is treating the trend “very seriously” and is preparing a fresh package of security measures to protect crypto holders. Berger said the ministry has already implemented preventative steps — including home check-ups for crypto executives, specialized briefings by elite police tactical units, and a prevention platform that has attracted thousands of sign-ups — and that new measures will be introduced “in the coming weeks.” He did not provide specifics.
Heightened security at the conference underscored the threat: Bloomberg reported organizers worked closely with local police and the interior ministry, with several police vans stationed at the entrance and a motorcade escorting guests to a VIP dinner at the Palace of Versailles. “It demonstrates the determination of the government and of France to support you, assist you, and protect you in all circumstances,” Berger said.
Violent incidents have become alarmingly frequent
- Last week in Anglet, four men tried to extort $471,000 in crypto from a family. Attackers bound a mother and her 11-year-old with an electrical cable and beat the father — a crypto entrepreneur — and the grandfather before police intervened.
- In March, three men posing as police officers held a couple in their late 50s captive in Le Chesnay (Yvelines), demanding a ransom of about $1.06 million in Bitcoin.
RTL has reported an unprecedented rise in such crimes in France: since 2025, more than one-third of all publicly reported “wrench attacks” globally have occurred in France. The National Directorate of the Judicial Police (DNPJ) logged 41 crypto-related incidents across agencies since the start of 2026 — a sharp jump from roughly twenty kidnappings recorded by the Criminal Investigation Department between 2023 and 2025.
Policy and pushback: a new reporting requirement
Meanwhile, the French National Assembly has advanced a controversial provision that would require taxpayers to declare cryptocurrency holdings over €5,000 held in self-custody wallets (examples cited include MetaMask and Ledger). Gregory Raymond, co-founder of The Big Whale, called the change a major expansion of reporting obligations that were previously limited to platform accounts.
Some crypto users have reacted angrily. Artist Pascal Boyart warned the rule risks “rendering the judicial system inoperative,” adding provocatively that “KYC as kidnap your customer.” Raymond, however, told reporters he believes the provision is unlikely to survive the Joint Committee (CMP); if it does, the text could be referred to France’s Constitutional Council.
What’s next
French authorities say they are coordinating closely with law enforcement and the crypto sector to deter attacks and protect vulnerable holders. With the sector’s adoption likely to keep growing, officials argue stronger, targeted security measures are needed now to blunt what they describe as an escalating criminal trend.
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