Autor Cointelegraph by Christina Comben

A man posing as a delivery driver allegedly tried to extort a crypto investor at gunpoint in a suburb of Montpellier, in what local media describe as the first reported crypto-motivated home invasion in France’s Hérault region. According to French outlet Actu.fr, the suspect gained access to the family home in Saint-Jean-de-Védas on April 11, pulled out a handgun and forced the parents and their children into a room before the father overpowered him during a struggle in which a shot was fired. No one was injured, and investigators from the Montpellier research section of the Gendarmerie later identified and arrested a 25-year-old suspect, who has since been charged and remanded in custody while police examine whether he acted alone.The case comes amid a surge in so-called “wrench attacks,” in which criminals use threats or violence to force crypto holders to hand over funds or seed phrases, bypassing digital safeguards. France has emerged as one of the countries worst hit by these assaults, with at least 41 crypto-linked kidnappings and home invasions so far this year. France emerges as wrench attack epicenterFrance’s wrench attack incidents amount to roughly one every 2.5 days, after such attacks jumped 75% in 2025 to 72 global cases in a single year and millions of dollars in confirmed losses, with France recording the highest number for a single country. Related: Crypto execs ramp up security as wrench attacks increaseFrench tech outlet Generation-NT reported on Tuesday that, beyond victims’ social media footprints, police and cybersecurity specialists increasingly suspect some gangs are compiling target lists from leaked customer data, giving them information on who holds significant crypto and where they live. Those concerns have been sharpened by recent leaks at crypto companies. In January, hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger said a breach at its payment partner Global‑e had exposed names, contact details and order information for some hardware wallet buyers, effectively creating a new, high-quality list of confirmed crypto users tied to physical addresses.Total wrench attacks per country. Source: Gart.ioKidnappings span fake raids and ransom plotsRecent French cases have ranged from fake police raids to ransom kidnappings. In February, police arrested six suspects over the abduction of a magistrate and her mother in a plot to extort crypto from the magistrate’s partner, a digital asset entrepreneur. Another investigation in March detailed assailants posing as officers who forced a French couple to transfer close to $1 million in Bitcoin (BTC) under threat of violence.French officials say crypto crime is shifting from code-based exploits to physical coercion. At Paris Blockchain Week, French minister Jean-Didier Berger said the government had launched a prevention platform for crypto holders and was working with the Interior Ministry on wider measures in response to the wave of kidnappings and home invasions tied to digital assets.Magazine: Bitcoin will not hit $1M by 2030, says veteran trader Peter BrandtCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy

A consortium of 12 European banks led by Qivalis has selected digital asset custody provider Fireblocks to provide infrastructure for a Markets in Crypto Assets Regulation (MiCA)-compliant euro stablecoin, according to a Tuesday release shared with Cointelegraph. Qivalis’s stablecoin is intended to support institutional use cases such as settlement, treasury and tokenized assets. Fireblocks said it will provide tokenization technology, wallet infrastructure, custody, and other important tools and features to support compliance, such as identity verification and sanctions screening.Qivalis, launched in 2025, is a Netherlands-based venture backed by major banks including BBVA, BNP Paribas, ING and UniCredit, which plans to issue a fully regulated, 1:1-backed euro token structured as an electronic money institution under Dutch supervision. The group says it is targeting a launch in the second half of 2026, subject to approval from the Dutch central bank, De Nederlandsche Bank, under the European Union’s MiCA regulatory framework.European banks push euro stablecoin to counter dollar dominanceThe project comes as dollar-denominated stablecoins dominate the global stablecoin market. According to DeFiLlama data, the total global stablecoin market capitalization is around $320 billion, with roughly 99% of supply tied to the US dollar and only a small share denominated in euros.Total stablecoin market capitalization. Source: DeFiLlamaEuropean banks and policymakers are stepping up efforts to reduce reliance on dollar stablecoins in digital payments and settlement, and European banks and corporates are selecting partners and infrastructure providers to accelerate euro stablecoin initiatives across the region.A spokesperson from Fireblocks told Cointelegraph that the project is being designed as a “regulated euro-native settlement instrument” for European institutions, rather than relying on dollar-based alternatives or smaller euro tokens without comparable banking backing.Related: French finance minister backs euro-pegged stablecoins to compete with USThe news also follows warnings from the Bank for International Settlements and other regulators that some dollar stablecoins may function more like investment vehicles than money due to their reliance on short-term securities. On Monday, BIS general manager Pablo Hernández de Cos repeated that warning, urging for greater global coordination on stablecoin regulation to address cross-border risks and prevent gaps in oversight.Earlier this month, Bank of France first deputy governor Denis Beau urged the European Union to limit the use of non-euro-denominated stablecoins in everyday payments to reduce regulatory arbitrage in times of stress.Magazine: Singapore isn’t a ‘crypto hub’ — it’s something better: StraitsX CEOCointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy

Japan Securities Clearing Corporation (JSCC), part of Japan Exchange Group (JPX), said Monday it will launch a proof of concept with Mizuho Financial Group, Nomura Holdings and Digital Asset to test the use of Japanese government bonds as digital collateral on the Canton Network.The project will examine whether Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) can be transferred and managed onchain while maintaining the legal status of the bonds under the Book-Entry Transfer Act and the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act.The trial will also test whether integrating existing systems with Canton’s blockchain infrastructure can support more sophisticated, real-time collateral transactions on a 24/7 basis, including in cross-border use cases.Japan’s Financial Services Agency selected the initiative in February for support under its Payment Innovation Project, which is part of the FinTech PoC Hub, the announcement states.The trial puts one of the world’s biggest sovereign bond markets into the live debate over whether collateral can move more efficiently across digital market infrastructure without breaking existing legal and supervisory frameworks.PoC trial for digital collateral management using JGBs. Source: JPXThe companies said the trial comes as the use of digital assets accelerates in the United States and other markets, with momentum also building in Japan, and that the outcome is expected to inform discussions on how JGBs might be used in digital collateral processes, though no commercial rollout has been specified.Related: Japan approves bill to classify crypto as financial instrumentsCanton expands government bond testsAn earlier Canton pilot in December 2025 saw tokenized US Treasuries reused as collateral in real time between major dealers and market participants, including Bank of America and Société Générale. Those tests highlighted the potential to reuse high-grade government securities onchain across multiple participants, and the new JGB trial extends that approach to Japan’s government bond market. Separately, in February, the United Kingdom’s government appointed HSBC’s Orion platform to host issuance for its Digital Gilt Instrument pilot in the Bank of England’s Digital Securities Sandbox as it explores distributed ledger technology for sovereign debt. Cointelegraph reached out to JSCC and Digital Asset for comment, but had not received a response by publication. Magazine: Should users be allowed to bet on war and death in prediction markets?Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy