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A brazen attempt to kidnap the daughter and grandson of Pierre Noizat, the co-founder and CEO of French crypto exchange Paymium, was foiled after the daughter and passersby reportedly fought off the kidnappers.
Three masked men attacked Noizat’s daughter and a male partner on May 13 while she was walking with her son in Paris’ 11th district. The assailants tried to force Noizat’s daughter and her son into a waiting van, the French state-owned media outlet France24 reported on May 13.
The accompanying male partner was assaulted when he tried to intervene, but Noizat’s daughter resisted and managed to take one of the guns off an assailant in a scuffle and throw it away, police said.
En plein Paris, un homme a été violenté par des individus cagoulés, habillés tout en noir. Ils tentaient de l’enlever. Un homme a surgi, extincteur à la main, pour les faire fuir. →https://t.co/P0qV6PR40v pic.twitter.com/9f4r2Gi7ho
— Le Figaro (@Le_Figaro) May 13, 2025
Eventually, people passing by intervened, and the masked assailants fled in the van, which was found nearby. All three victims suffered injuries and were taken to a local hospital.
Local outlet Le Parisien reported that the botched daylight kidnapping is being investigated by the Brigade for the Suppression of Banditry, a special police unit of the French Ministry of the Interior.
Michael Englander, co-founder and CEO of Polish crypto exchange Plasbit, says this incident should serve as a wake-up call for the rest of the industry.
“If you’re in crypto and still flaunting it online, you’re not just stupid, you’re putting your family in danger,” he said in a May 13 post to X.
Offline crypto-linked attacks grow
Crypto-focused lawyer Sasha Hodder said on X that “crypto theft is evolving. It’s not just social engineering or SIM swaps anymore.”
In May, Las Vegas police said three teenagers had allegedly kidnapped a man at gunpoint who was returning from a local crypto event and robbed him of $4 million in crypto and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
On May 3, Paris police freed the father of a crypto entrepreneur who was held for several days in connection with a 7 million euro ($7.8 million) kidnapping plot.
At the start of the year, David Balland, co-founder of crypto hardware wallet manufacturer Ledger, was abducted from his home in central France during the early hours of Jan. 21. He was held captive until a police operation on the night of Jan. 22 secured his release.
Related: Crypto broker breaks ankles while fleeing kidnappers in Spain
Jameson Lopp, a cypherpunk and co-founder of self-custodial firm Casa, has created a list on GitHub recording dozens of offline crypto robberies, with 22 incidents of in-person crypto-related theft so far this year.
A University of Cambridge study in September found these so-called “wrench attacks” are often underreported due to revictimization fears and involve a diverse group of attackers ranging from organized crime groups to friends and family.
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Stablecoin issuer Tether bought $458.7 million worth of Bitcoin for Twenty One Capital, a Bitcoin investment firm it backed that’s awaiting the completion of a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) merger with Cantor Equity Partners.
Tether snapped up 4,812.2 Bitcoin (BTC) at $95,319 each and transferred it to an escrow wallet on May 9, Cantor Equity Partners disclosed in a May 13 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
It brings Twenty One’s total Bitcoin holdings to 36,312 BTC, as Cantor Equity Partners holds 31,500 BTC on behalf of the firm, which will trade under the ticker XXI once the SPAC merger is complete.
Twenty One’s CEO, Jack Mallers, said on May 13 that they’re already in the approval process of the merger, but didn’t give an exact estimate on when the transaction would be complete.
Twenty One is already the third largest corporate Bitcoin holder, trailing only Strategy and Bitcoin mining firm MARA Holdings at 568,840 Bitcoin and 48,237 Bitcoin, respectively, BitcoinTreasuries.net data shows.
Tether is a majority stakeholder in Twenty One alongside crypto exchange Bitfinex. The Wall Street heavyweight Cantor Fitzgerald is sponsoring the merger, providing financial advisory services and securing $585 million in funding to support Twenty One’s Bitcoin investments.
Japanese investment holding firm SoftBank also invested $900 million into Twenty One, which is led by Strike CEO Jack Mallers.
Strategy may have a legitimate competitor
Twenty One said in an April presentation to the SEC that is looking to supplant Michael Saylor’s Strategy, formerly MicroStrategy, to become the “superior vehicle” for investors seeking “capital-efficient Bitcoin exposure.”
The company is among many Bitcoin buying firms, but promises to be a “pure play” for investors seeking Bitcoin exposure with Bitcoin-native operations and more flexibility for strategic capital raises.
Twenty One said its key success metric will be Bitcoin per share and not the traditional earnings per share metric, as it will prioritize buying up Bitcoin over making a profit.
Related: Nakamoto Holdings merges with KindlyMD to build Bitcoin treasury
Twenty One is aiming to reach 42,000 Bitcoin by the time it launches. Earlier filings showed that 23,950 Bitcoin is expected to come from Tether, 10,500 Bitcoin from Softbank and about 7,000 Bitcoin from Bitfinex, which will be converted into equity at $10 per share.
Cantor Equity Partners’ (CEP) share price soared from $10.65 to $59.73 on May 2 but has since fallen back to $29.84, Google Finance data shows. CEP rose another 5.2% in after-hours following the recent purchase.
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Key Takeaways:
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Bitcoin price holds above $100,000, driven by “risk-on” sentiment after the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) dropped to 20.
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The Bitcoin Bull Score Index surged to 80, and the Fear & Greed Index suggests growing optimism, with historical patterns indicating potential for further price gains.
Bitcoin (BTC) price continues to consolidate higher above $100,000 after the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) dropped to its 30-year average of 20, down from a peak of 60 earlier in 2025. This decline follows a US-China trade deal on May 12, which introduced a 90-day tariff pause and a 115% reduction on both sides.
The agreement has fueled a “risk-on” sentiment, boosting Bitcoin and equities as investors lean into higher-risk assets, according to Bitcoin network economist Timothy Peterson. The analyst said,
“$VIX dropped substantially yesterday on news of a potential China trade deal. It is now at ‘normal’ levels. This will be a ‘risk on’ environment for the foreseeable future.”
Adding to the bullish sentiment, the US Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate dropped to 2.3% year-over-year in April 2025, the lowest since February 2021, down from 2.4% in March and below consensus forecasts of 2.4%. This softer-than-expected CPI reading signals easing inflationary pressure, potentially increasing the likelihood of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts in 2025, assuming other economic indicators align.
With respect to the current macroeconomic dynamics—lower volatility, cooling inflation, and a trade war truce- it creates favorable market conditions for Bitcoin.
Earlier this month, Peterson noted that BTC could reach $135,000 within 100 days, citing a drop in the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) from 55 to 25, signaling a “risk-on” environment. With 95% accuracy, his model links low VIX levels to increased investor confidence in riskier assets like Bitcoin.
Related: Bitcoin shrugs off US CPI win as Binance CEO says BTC ‘leading pack’
Bitcoin bull score index reaches yearly high
After posting one of its least bullish phases in two years during April, Bitcoin sentiment flipped drastically to its highest reading in 2025. Data from CryptoQuant indicated a dramatic rise in the Bitcoin Bull Score Index, soaring from 20 to 80, a level historically associated with significant price surges.
This shift, driven by rising spot demand outpacing supply, reflects patterns observed after the April 2024 halving, suggesting Bitcoin could be poised for further gains.
Likewise, Bitcoin researcher Axel Adler Jr noted that while the Bitcoin Fear & Greed Index is climbing, currently at 53.3%, it remains below the “overloaded” zone above 80%. The analyst discussed the possibility of a market “upswing,” expressing hope for a successful test and surpassing Bitcoin’s all-time high near $110,000.
Related: Bitcoin profit taking at $106K the first stop before new all-time BTC price highs
This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.
Two US senators are calling on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to “exercise [the department’s] authority” and change a provision affecting taxes on corporate holdings of digital assets.
In a May 12 letter, Senators Cynthia Lummis and Bernie Moreno suggested Bessent had the authority to change the definition of “adjusted financial statement income” under existing US law in a way that could reduce what digital asset companies pay in taxes. The proposed adjustment was suggested as a way to modify a provision of the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022.
“Our edge in digital finance is at risk if US companies are taxed more than foreign competitors,” said Lummis in a May 13 X post.
According to the two senators, the proposed modification would provide “relief to corporations that invest in digital assets.” Lummis has been one of the most outspoken digital asset advocates in Congress, while Moreno took office in January after crypto-backed political action committees spent roughly $40 million to support his 2024 Senate race.
Related: Arizona governor kills two crypto bills, cracks down on Bitcoin ATMs
The Inflation Reduction Act, which went into effect in 2023, imposes a 15% minimum tax on companies that report more than $1 billion in profits for three consecutive years. The measure would seemingly include unrealized crypto gains and losses, leading to Lummis’ and Moreno’s calls for the Treasury Department to “act swiftly.”
Senate awaiting second vote on stablecoin bill
The call from the two senators came as lawmakers in the Senate are expected to consider another vote on the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins, or GENIUS Act — legislation to regulate payment stablecoins in the US. A motion for consideration failed to move forward in the Senate on May 8 due to Democratic lawmakers pushing back on Donald Trump’s ties to the crypto industry.
Lummis, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, suggested that she would continue to support digital asset regulation. The Senate could take up another vote in a matter of days.
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