French Minister Takes Action to Enhance Security for Crypto Professionals Following Kidnapping Incidents

Overview

Amid a succession of kidnapping attempts centered on crypto business figures in France, Bruno Retailleau, the Minister of the Interior, has implemented a series of measures to enhance the protection of crypto professionals. These initiatives were unveiled during a Friday meeting that followed incidents targeting a crypto exchange CEO’s family.

Key Actions Discussed

Strengthening collaboration with internal security agencies.
Provision of security briefings from police units.
Training sessions aimed at preventing cryptocurrency-related money laundering.

This assembly included the Director General of the National Police and Gendarmerie, alongside representatives from the Association for the Development of Digital Assets (ADAN) and other stakeholders.

Context of these Measures

The new measures were prompted by a kidnapping attempt that occurred earlier in the week, which aimed at the daughter and grandson of a crypto exchange CEO. This incident marks the third widely publicized kidnapping case involving crypto professionals in recent months. Previously, a French crypto millionaire’s father was abducted, as reported by the BBC, and David Ballard, a co-founder of the crypto wallet firm Ledger, was also a victim of kidnapping alongside his wife.

“I wanted to reiterate my shock at the seriousness of the criminal acts that were committed and my determination to put an end to these unbearable attacks targeting crypto-asset professionals, just as they attacked banks and jewelry stores yesterday,” Retailleau mentioned in a statement.