France has recorded at least 41 crypto-related kidnappings and home invasions so far in 2026, roughly one every two to three days, according to government officials who addressed an international blockchain conference in Paris this week. The supporting evidence appears in the repository update.
The scale of the crisis has placed the country at the center of a rapidly escalating global threat to digital asset holders.
Jean-Didier Berger, Minister Delegate to the Interior Ministry, confirmed the figures publicly and said he is working with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez to prepare a new package of measures designed to curb what authorities are calling an unprecedented wave of physical coercion attacks against crypto investors and executives.
A Security Crisis Visible at the Conference Floor
The severity of the threat was on full display at the annual crypto and blockchain conference held this week at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. Security personnel were visibly reinforced throughout the venue, and a police motorcade was deployed to escort VIP attendees to a dinner at the Palace of Versailles.
These are not routine precautions for a technology conference.
That heightened posture reflected the reality playing out across the country. France has become the primary focal point of so-called wrench attacks, a term describing physical assaults where criminals use force or the threat of violence to compel victims to transfer cryptocurrency on the spot.
Unlike hacks or phishing schemes, these attacks require no technical skill. They require only the knowledge that a target holds digital assets.
Berger acknowledged that a government-backed prevention platform has already attracted thousands of registrations from concerned crypto holders, but officials were clear that registration alone is insufficient. Additional legislative and operational steps are being drafted as incidents continue to climb.
Global Data Confirms a Worsening Trend
France is not an isolated case. Global data compiled by security firm CertiK and independent crypto researcher Jameson Lopp, who has tracked physical Bitcoin and crypto attacks since 2014, shows that 2025 saw 72 verified physical coercion incidents worldwide. That figure represents a 75% increase over the prior year. Lopp’s dataset, which now documents at least 188 attacks since 2014, is widely considered the most comprehensive public record of its kind.
Cases involving direct physical assault grew even faster, rising approximately 250% year over year according to the same data.
Security researchers emphasize that these figures almost certainly undercount the true scale of the problem, since many victims decline to report attacks due to fear of further targeting, embarrassment, or uncertainty about whether authorities can help recover stolen funds.
Organized criminal networks are increasingly treating crypto investors as soft targets. Unlike cash, cryptocurrency holdings can be confirmed through on-chain wallets and public blockchain data.
Unlike bank accounts, there are no fraud departments to call, no chargebacks, and no reversal mechanisms once a transfer is signed. That combination makes crypto holders uniquely vulnerable to coercive tactics that would offer diminishing returns in other financial contexts.
Security researchers warn that attackers are not relying on data breaches alone. They are cross-referencing public social media profiles, leaked exchange databases, visible purchases, and even conference attendance lists to identify targets.
Individuals who publicly discuss their holdings, appear on panels, or are visible in industry directories face elevated exposure. The pattern suggests that operational security failures at the personal level are a significant contributor to the targeting pipeline.
Industry professionals are responding with a growing focus on technical safeguards that reduce the incentive for physical coercion in the first place.
Multi-signature wallet structures, which require approvals from multiple devices or parties before any transfer can be completed, make it difficult for an attacker to force an immediate payout even under duress.
Time-locked wallets, withdrawal limits, and decoy accounts that hold nominal balances are also gaining traction as practical defensive layers.
The broader market has not yet priced in the reputational and regulatory consequences of a physical security crisis of this magnitude.
If governments across Europe begin treating crypto ownership as a liability requiring formal state protection, the regulatory environment for digital assets could shift in ways that are difficult to predict.
France’s willingness to bring this issue onto a conference stage suggests that official attitudes toward the sector are moving toward protective engagement rather than dismissal, but the path from acknowledgment to effective enforcement remains unclear.
For now, investors and executives operating in high-visibility roles face a calculus that extends well beyond portfolio management. Physical personal security, digital footprint reduction, and structural wallet design are no longer niche concerns reserved for whale-tier holders.
As the frequency and violence of attacks continues to climb, they are becoming baseline considerations for anyone with a publicly known connection to digital assets.
Not Financial Advice: This article is for informational purposes only. Crypto investments are highly volatile. Always do your own research.
