France Leads Crypto Violence Surge, Wrench Attacks Exceed $30 Million

Crypto losses from violent attacks have exceeded $30 million in 2026, according to a Chainalysis report. This is a significant increase from previous years, with France recording the highest number of incidents.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 46 documented violent crypto incidents worldwide, compared to 40 during the same period in 2025. The success rate of attacks fell to 26% from 49% the previous year and 67% in 2024.

The structure of attacks also shifted, with home invasions rising to 37% and kidnappings accounting for 52%. Chainalysis identified data leaks in France as the main reason for the surge in violence. A tax office employee in the Paris area allegedly stole and sold dossiers of wealthy cryptocurrency holders in 2024.

Another shift is the increase in attacks on relatives and acquaintances of cryptocurrency holders, which accounted for about 25-30% of all incidents by the beginning of 2026, compared to nearly zero in 2021. In France, such cases exceeded 40%