France Calls Emergency Meeting Amid Rising Kidnapping Threats to Crypto Executives

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has convened an urgent meeting with cryptocurrency entrepreneurs following a brazen attempted kidnapping targeting the family of Paymium CEO Pierre Noizat. The incident, which occurred on May 13 in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, saw three masked assailants thwarted by bystanders.

The government’s response signals growing recognition of crypto industry leaders as high-profile targets. This marks the latest in a series of security threats facing digital asset entrepreneurs in France, raising questions about whether the sector requires specialized protection measures.

Paymium, one of France’s earliest Bitcoin exchanges, finds its leadership unexpectedly at the center of a national security discussion. The company’s prominence in Europe’s crypto ecosystem makes its executives potential targets for criminal elements seeking ransom in digital assets.