Latest news with #ElizabethHowcroft
The Star
30-05-2025
- The Star
Twenty-five people hauled before French judge for crypto kidnapping attempt, court says
PARIS (Reuters) -Twenty-five people will be brought before an investigating judge on Friday for attempting to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy crypto businessman and for criminal conspiracy, the Paris court said. Videos of the brazen kidnapping attempt, which took place in broad daylight on a Parisian street, were filmed and disseminated on social media, and showed three masked men wrestling with two people while their getaway van idled nearby. It was the third violent attack targeting crypto players and their families in recent months. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Elizabeth Howcroft;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta)
Irish Independent
30-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Twenty-five people hauled before French judge for crypto kidnapping attempt
Makini Brice and Elizabeth Howcroft ©Reuters Today at 04:57 Twenty-five people will be brought before an investigating judge on Friday for attempting to kidnap the daughter of a wealthy crypto businessman and for criminal conspiracy, the Paris court said. Videos of the brazen kidnapping attempt, which took place in broad daylight on a Parisian street, were filmed and disseminated on social media, and showed three masked men wrestling with two people while their getaway van idled nearby.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Revolut plans $1.1 billion French expansion
By Elizabeth Howcroft PARIS (Reuters) -British finance company Revolut said on Monday it plans to invest 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) over the next three years on expanding in France and will soon apply for a French banking licence. In an announcement as part of the "Choose France" investment summit, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at Versailles Palace near Paris, Revolut said it would open a new office in Paris for its operations in Western Europe and create at least 200 new jobs in France. Revolut is the biggest of a number of European financial services apps founded in the past decade, with more than 55 million customers but no physical branches. It gained a banking licence in Britain in 2024, after a three-year wait. Revolut already has around 300 employees in France. The company said that Lithuania would still be a "key base" for Revolut's growth in Europe. Revolut already has a Lithuanian banking licence, which it can use as a passport into the European Union, and enables it to sell products to French customers. A spokesperson for Revolut said that having a second banking licence in the bloc would allow it to build closer relationships with regulators and offer services that are more tailored for its customers in France. This year's "Choose France" business summit is expected to secure 20 billion euros of new investment, Macron's office said on Monday, announcing projects in the defence, energy and industrial sectors. ($1 = 0.8941 euros)
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Fear and anger in France's crypto community after spate of kidnappings
By Elizabeth Howcroft PARIS (Reuters) -After watching frightening images of a prominent French crypto boss' daughter being attacked on a Paris street during a botched kidnapping, crypto executive Alexandre Aimonino draws reassurance from changes he has made to his daily routine. To stay safe, the 23-year-old co-founder of a crypto compliance software company avoids public transport, skips industry get-togethers and varies his drive home. "Working in the ecosystem feels like having a target on your back," Aimonino told Reuters. French crypto bosses have reacted with fear and anger after a series of violent kidnappings. While some have stepped up security and are considering bodyguards, others are calling for a tougher crackdown on crime plus deregulation to keep the crypto paper trail more anonymous. In the latest incident on Tuesday, a masked gang tried to abduct the daughter of Pierre Noizat, the CEO of the French crypto firm Paymium. The incident, in broad daylight, went viral after it was filmed by onlookers. It was at least the third such attack in recent months. In January, the co-founder of French crypto company Ledger and his wife were kidnapped in central France, while in May the father of a head of a crypto company was snatched in Paris. Although all were rescued, both of the men lost a finger. A ransom in cryptocurrency was paid during the kidnapping of the Ledger co-founder, but quickly recouped by French investigators. Details are murky about the gangs behind the attacks, though authorities have said 10 people were questioned after the Ledger attack and seven people were arrested following the first kidnapping in May, with two released for having no connection. The Paris prosecutors' office said the organised crime unit of Paris police was investigating Wednesday's attack. The prosecutors did not respond to detailed questions from Reuters. Though a small part of global financial markets, the rapid rise in the price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in recent years has created a new group of wealthy investors. Security experts interviewed by Reuters said that criminals could be tempted by investors posting evidence of new-found wealth online, as well as the perception that crypto is easier to launder than traditional cash. "Crypto transactions are more likely to escape the level of scrutiny applied to traditional banking systems," said Michael Lyons, a lawyer specialising in anti-money laundering at Clifford Chance. 'GRUESOME, BRAZEN' Cryptocurrency has long been demanded as ransom payments in hacks and cyberattacks, and regulators around the world are trying to crack down on crypto's use by criminals. For some, the attacks are a symptom of France's growing violent crime problem. "The heart of the matter is ... whether we know how to repress crime in this country," Noizat said on BFM TV on Friday. Eric Larcheveque, a Ledger co-founder, said crime may be fuelling an exodus. "How many entrepreneurs, how many talented individuals, are seriously considering leaving a country that no longer protects its people?" he wrote on X. "How many have already left, silently, out of weariness, fear, or resignation?" French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau met with French crypto players on Friday to calm their nerves and outline measures to protect them and their families. Noizat's company, Paymium, suggested deregulation could provide founders with more security. In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, Paymium criticized European regulations like the international "travel rule" - already in place in traditional financial institutions - which requires data to be collected about the source and recipient of crypto transfers. Some crypto bosses are taking measures into their own hands. Thomas Rossi, who runs Wagram, a bodyguard company in Paris, said he had many new requests after Tuesday's attack. His firm also provides security for visiting U.S. crypto executives. Sofiane Aboubeker, CEO of French security company ARECIA, also said he had seen an increase in requests for close protection. Ben Davis, who runs an insurance brokerage in the UK for crypto clients, said that while France was facing a particular wave of attacks, there had also previously been incidents in the U.S., elsewhere in Europe, and around Asia. "Two years ago kidnap and ransom wasn't really a big problem, no one really wanted to talk about it, and now 100% of our clients are talking about it," he said. Davis, who is also a crypto investor, said he has taken steps to increase his own security, but did not want to give details: "These attacks are again becoming more gruesome, more brazen, and are increasing in likelihood and severity."
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Woman escapes botched kidnapping in Paris as gangs target crypto wealth
By Elizabeth Howcroft PARIS (Reuters) - French prosecutors are investigating after a masked gang attempted to kidnap the daughter of a crypto businessman in Paris in what is at least the third violent attack targeting wealthy crypto players and their families in recent months. The shocking images of the attack, which was filmed by an onlooker, have stoked a perception that crime is increasingly out of control in France, which is grappling with a rise in drug crime and a recent wave of prison attacks. The brazen kidnapping attempt took place on Tuesday morning on a busy Paris street. Video widely shared on social media showed three masked men wrestling with two people on the ground as a getaway van idled next to them. After failing to snatch the woman during an extended physical struggle, the attackers eventually gave up and drove off. The kidnapping target was identified in local media reports as the 34-year-old daughter of the CEO of a platform for buying cryptocurrencies, who was with her partner at the time. Reuters was unable to independently verify the victims' identity. The Paris prosecutors' office did not comment on the victims' identity. The office said it had opened a probe into the attempted kidnapping that would be conducted by an organised crime unit of the Paris police. It also criticised the sharing of the video, saying it compounded the victims' suffering. Kidnapping gangs appear to have identified wealthy French crypto players as easy targets. On May 1, the father of a French crypto player was kidnapped for ransom in Paris and was rescued by police days later, missing a finger. In January, one of the co-founders of Ledger, a French crypto company, was also kidnapped for ransom along with his wife. He also lost a finger before being rescued. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said on Wednesday he would meet with French crypto entrepreneurs to make them aware of the risks and to take measures to protect them. President Emmanuel Macron was due to visit two jails in northern France on Wednesday as part of a commitment to tackle rising organised crime, which has boosted support for the far-right.
