French crypto entrepreneurs to receive extra security amid recent kidnappings: Report

French crypto entrepreneurs and their families are set to receive enhanced security measures following a recent surge in violent kidnappings targeting the cryptocurrency sector in France.

This decision comes after at least three high-profile kidnapping incidents and attempts in 2025, including attacks on industry leaders and their relatives, with some victims suffering severe injuries such as severed fingers.

The French Interior Ministry, led by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, has introduced several urgent protective steps such as priority access to police emergency lines for crypto entrepreneurs and their families, home security assessments and police visits to advise on safety best practices, safety briefings conducted by law enforcement to educate on protective measures and specialized training for law enforcement officers in anti-crypto asset laundering to better understand and combat crypto-related crimes.

The wave of kidnappings has created a climate of fear within the French crypto community, with some leaders taking personal security measures such as avoiding public transport and altering routines.

The kidnappings often involve ransom demands in cryptocurrency and have been marked by extreme violence.

The government response aims to provide immediate and short-term tools to prevent, dissuade, and hinder such criminal acts, protecting the rapidly growing crypto industry in France.

In May 2025, an attempted kidnapping of a crypto CEO's daughter and her child in Paris was thwarted after the victim resisted and bystanders intervened.

Earlier in the year, David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, and his spouse were abducted, with Balland suffering a severed finger; kidnappers demanded a €10 million ransom in cryptocurrency.

The father of another crypto millionaire was also kidnapped in May and rescued after a ransom demand in crypto was made.

These measures reflect the French government's commitment to safeguarding the crypto sector from a disturbing trend of targeted violent crimes.

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