French Minister: New Measures to Address Frequent Crypto-Related Kidnappings

According to Cointelegraph, Jean-Didier Berger, representative of France’s Minister of the Interior, stated at Paris Blockchain Week that France is preparing new measures to protect cryptocurrency holders. He revealed that authorities have launched a preventive platform, which has already attracted thousands of registrants, and are jointly developing a more robust response plan with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez—expected to be implemented within the coming weeks. Against this backdrop, 41 crypto-related kidnappings have occurred in France in 2026—averaging one every 2.5 days. Globally, such “wrench attacks” rose 75% year-on-year in 2025, with France being the most severely affected country worldwide, accounting for approximately 40% of all such incidents in Europe.