France's government is implementing emergency protocols to combat a sharp rise in physical violence targeting digital asset holders. According to reports from RTL, French authorities have documented 41 crypto-linked kidnappings since the start of 2026, averaging one attack every 2.5 days. Jean-Didier Berger, France's minister delegate to the interior, announced these measures at Paris Blockchain Week, emphasizing the government's shift toward protecting the physical safety of the blockchain community. The Interior Ministry representative confirmed that authorities will introduce new measures "in the coming weeks" to deal with this wave of crypto-linked kidnappings that has made France an epicenter of what police now call "wrench attacks."
Berger revealed that his office has already implemented preventative measures, including a specialized security platform that has already seen thousands of sign-ups. As reported by RTL, he is currently working with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on a "more stringent response plan" that will be deployed shortly, following internal warnings that the threat has evolved from insider disputes to systematic targeting of wealthy individuals and their families. The minister stated that authorities are taking measures to protect cryptocurrency investors from the growing threat of crypto kidnappings and wrench attacks in the country.
The spike in physical violence follows a year where France became the global leader in wrench attacks, crimes where victims are assaulted or threatened to force the handover of digital keys. According to cybersecurity platform CertiK, France recorded 19 such confirmed cases in 2025, contributing to a trend where Europe now accounts for nearly 40% of these incidents worldwide. The cases increasingly target the families of digital entrepreneurs, with criminals posing as police officers to rob victims of substantial cryptocurrency holdings. TRM Labs and CertiK data cited by Forbes show France logged 19 of 72 verified wrench attacks globally in a recent period, more than twice the tally in the United States, with at least 30 documented cases since 2017 and over 20 in 2025 alone.
A recent case in April highlighted the growing danger for cryptocurrency industry participants when GIGN commandos rescued a mother and 10-year-old son held for about 20 hours as kidnappers tried to extort "several hundreds of thousands" of euros from the father, a crypto entrepreneur. As reported by RTL, the victims were safely freed and the suspects arrested. Other recent cases include the February kidnapping of a magistrate and her mother to extort a partner involved in the crypto sector, and a January memo from France's organized crime agency SIRASCO described roughly 40 crypto kidnappings and hostage-takings between mid-2023 and end-2025, mostly in urban areas around Paris. Industry and security researchers say self-custody has become a physical risk factor in France's crypto scene, pushing some executives toward bodyguards and home security checks.
