French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that the country has recorded 77 cases of kidnapping, unlawful detention, extortion, or attempted crimes tied to the crypto industry so far in 2026 — a sharp jump from 45 such cases in all of 2025. The pace of increase has alarmed both authorities and the crypto community.
Minister Calls Situation 'Very Serious'
Nuñez said the rise in crypto-related kidnapping in France is very serious and that industry concerns about safety are justified. He did not downplay the numbers or the risks to holders. Emergency measures introduced over the past year have started producing results: around 200 arrests have been made, either immediately after incidents or during preventive operations aimed at stopping attacks before they happen.
Why Crypto Holders Are Targeted
Unlike a bank account, once someone obtains a private key or wallet access, funds can be moved instantly and often cannot be reversed. That makes holders — especially those with visible or known wealth — easy targets for criminal networks chasing fast, hard-to-trace payouts.
Cryptocurrency adoption keeps growing across Europe, putting more people in possession of visible, on-chain wealth. That visibility, combined with the irreversibility of crypto transfers, has turned physical threats and extortion into a real method for criminals, not just hacking or online scams.
Security Redefined: Physical Safety Now a Concern
For holders, security is no longer just about protecting wallets from online hackers. Physical safety is now part of the picture, especially for anyone known to hold large amounts. Some holders have already changed their behavior: using multi-signature wallets, keeping holdings less public, and relying on custodial services or hardware-based security instead of managing everything alone.
These cases also feed into broader debates about regulation and user protection. Physical crime tied to cryptocurrency sits outside what most security tools are designed to stop.
What Could Happen Next
If crypto kidnapping cases in France keep climbing at this pace, expect more pressure on exchanges and wallet providers to address physical security, not just software protection. Law enforcement may expand preventive operations similar to those that led to 200 arrests. On the user side, more wealthy holders may turn to institutional custody or hired security rather than managing large amounts on their own. People will also become more careful about discussing their wealth openly. Going from 45 to 77 cases in under a year is a clear signal: crypto-related physical crime is becoming a real problem in France.