The French Government Is Responding To The Wave Of Kidnappings Targeting Crypto Entrepreneurs

Faced with the increase in kidnappings targeting the crypto sector in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is organizing an emergency meeting with entrepreneurs this Friday. This decision comes after the attempted kidnapping of the daughter and grandson of the CEO of Paymium, on Tuesday in Paris. Is the security of crypto players becoming a national issue?

The Minister Takes the Initiative Amid Escalating Violence

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced on Tuesday that he would soon convene the main players in the French crypto sector for an extraordinary meeting at the ministry.

This decision follows the particularly audacious attempted kidnapping targeting the daughter of Pierre Noizat, co-founder and CEO of the Paymium platform.

Indeed, the attack took place on Tuesday morning in Paris’s 11th arrondissement. Three masked men attempted to force the young woman, her partner, and their two-year-old son into a white van.

Courageous witnesses intervened, one brandishing a fire extinguisher to drive off the attackers. The police later found the used vehicle abandoned in the neighborhood a few hours afterward.

“I will gather entrepreneurs working in cryptocurrencies at the Ministry of the Interior to work with them on their security“, declared Bruno Retailleau on Europe 1/CNews.

A Growing Threat to the French Crypto Ecosystem

Kidnappings related to crypto have dangerously increased since the beginning of 2025. Jameson Lopp, security expert and co-founder of Casa, already lists 22 similar incidents worldwide for the first four months of the year.

These “wrench attacks” aim to extort victims’ private keys through physical force.

France is not spared from this worrying phenomenon. In January, David Balland, co-founder of Ledger, the world leader in secure wallets, was held captive for several days at his home before being freed by law enforcement.

More recently, in early May, French police freed the father of a crypto entrepreneur who had been held by kidnappers for several days as part of an abduction plot demanding a ransom of 7 million euros.

In response to this escalation, the meeting Friday between Bruno Retailleau and the entrepreneurs could change the situation. For the first time, the State and the crypto sector will work together on concrete solutions. Professionals hope for rapid measures to ensure their security.

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