Whereas NFT Paris and RWA Paris 2026 have been formally cancelled on January 5, citing a world crypto market collapse and unsustainable prices, the surge in crypto-related violence has added a troubling backdrop to the announcement.
France has reported over 20 kidnappings and violent assaults focusing on crypto professionals and their households since January 2025. This has created an environment of worry throughout the nation’s Web3 neighborhood.
Sponsored
4 tried kidnappings alone occurred inside 4 days in early January 2026, prompting pressing warnings from crypto business figures.
It has additionally raised questions in regards to the security of digital asset holders in France, with current incidents reportedly involving:
- January 6, 2026: A lady was violently held and sequestered by attackers looking for her accomplice’s crypto belongings at their house in Manosque, Alpes‑de‑Haute‑Provence.
- January 6, 2026: Manosque incident (crypto USB theft) — One other report describes the same Manosque case the place masked gunmen tied up a girl and stole a USB containing crypto keys.
- January 9, 2026: An engineer was kidnapped from his house (Saint-Léger-sous-Cholet, Maine-et-Loire).
- January 9, 2026: A cryptocurrency investor and his household have been tied up and overwhelmed at house (Verneuil-sur-Seine, Yvelines).
Sponsors of the NFT Paris occasion have expressed frustration over non-refundable expenditures, with some going through vital monetary losses amid the abrupt cancellation.
“The real reason why NFT Paris was cancelled,” said artwork market analyst Arthemort.
The artwork market analyst highlighted a few of the earlier crypto-related kidnapping instances BeInCrypto has reported previously, citing a disturbing timeline of incidents spanning greater than a yr.
Sponsored
French authorities have often foiled kidnapping makes an attempt. Police rescued a Swiss crypto skilled in Valence and arrested a number of suspects in coordinated raids.
Regardless of these successes, many attackers stay at giant, highlighting the persistent safety challenges going through the nation’s crypto sector.
Business insider Farokh warned that authorities staff could have shared taxpayer knowledge with legal “sponsors,” immediately linking tax filings to the focusing on of crypto holders.
“We’re now at 4 kidnapping attempts in 4 days in France after finding out a government employee was giving ‘sponsors’ information on crypto tax payers. If you’re in crypto and file your taxes + live in France, please be careful,” wrote Farokh.
Sponsored
The alleged knowledge leak has intensified concern about France’s reporting necessities for crypto holdings underneath anti-money laundering and tax rules.
Safety consultants advise utilizing pseudonyms, limiting on-line publicity, and avoiding public disclosure of pockets data to cut back private danger.
NFT Paris Cancellation Highlights Business Challenges
NFT Paris organizers cited market collapse and excessive prices as causes for cancelling the January 2026 occasion, promising refunds for all tickets.
NFT Paris & RWA Paris 2026 are cancelled.
After 4 editions bringing collectively the worldwide Web3 neighborhood in Paris, we’ve to face actuality: NFT Paris 2026 won’t occur.
The market collapse hit us exhausting. Regardless of drastic price cuts and months of making an attempt to make it work, we…
— NFT Paris (@nft_paris) January 5, 2026
Sponsored
Sponsors expressed frustration over non-refundable bills, highlighting the monetary pressure of abrupt cancellations.
“As a sponsor, I got the mail as well, mentioning: “As per Article 12 of our agreement, the non-refundable costs incurred for the event exceed the total sponsorship contributions received, so we are unfortunately unable to offer a refund at this time.” Wanting ahead to speak about this, simply texted on Telegram to the quantity you talked about within the mail,” wrote one consumer.
Whereas financial components have been emphasised publicly, insiders word that the rising safety disaster throughout the crypto neighborhood probably contributed to the choice to cancel.
The wave of kidnappings shows the vulnerabilities confronted by crypto professionals in France and the continued challenges of safeguarding each private safety and digital belongings.
As authorities try and tighten protections and examine legal networks, the French Web3 sector faces a precarious surroundings the place market pressures and bodily threats intersect.
