France is grappling with a troubling rise in wrench attacks—violent robberies aimed at crypto holders to steal digital assets. Bitcoin journalist Joe Nakamoto estimates that roughly 70% of these incidents occur in France, a figure he links to the country’s centralized data practices and the exposure of personal information in data breaches.

According to Nakamoto, 41 crypto-related kidnappings have been recorded in France so far in 2026, equating to about one attack every two and a half days. The surge, he argues, is fueled by compromised Know-Your-Customer data stored on centralized servers, exposing home addresses and other personally identifiable information that attackers can weaponize against individuals holding crypto.

The ledger…