David Balland, a co-founder of the French crypto firm Ledger, was kidnapped along with his wife.
David Balland, a co-founder of the French cryptocurrency firm Ledger, and his wife were freed this week after being brutally kidnapped and held for ransom, French authorities announced on Thursday. Balland sustained severe injuries to his hand during the ordeal.
The couple was abducted early on Tuesday from their home in Vierzon, central France, and held captive at two separate locations. They were freed in a police operation involving more than 90 officers from France’s elite GIGN. Balland was rescued on Wednesday, and his wife was released the following day, found tied up but unharmed.Balland, who left Ledger in 2021, was hospitalized for his injuries.
Ledger, founded in 2014, is one of France’s leading cryptocurrency companies, known for its hardware wallets for crypto asset storage.
The kidnappers demanded a ransom in cryptocurrency, part of which was paid. Authorities have traced, frozen, and seized most of the cryptocurrency involved. As of Thursday, 10 suspects, many of whom are known to the police, are being questioned.
The investigation involved over 230 officers and led to the couple’s safe rescue without any shots being fired. According to Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the kidnappers contacted another Ledger co-founder and demanded a substantial ransom. Investigators are still determining the exact amount requested.
The investigation continues as authorities question the suspects, with potential charges carrying life sentences if convicted.
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Bangladesh clinched two World Bank credits worth $850 million on Wednesday—$650 million to overhaul Chittagong’s Bay Terminal and $200 million to strengthen social protection—aiming to cut shipping costs, spur jobs and aid 4.5 million vulnerable citizens.
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A coordinated Russian missile and drone assault struck Kyiv and Kharkiv early Thursday, injuring 21 people and igniting fires across several neighborhoods, in one of the most intense attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
India moved swiftly to scale back its diplomatic ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after a deadly militant attack in Kashmir killed 26 tourists, marking the country’s worst civilian massacre in nearly 20 years and escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The Philippines faces the lightest blow from Washington’s new tariff regime—just 17 % on average and with a third of its exports exempt—positioning Manila to lure trade and investment diverted from harder-hit neighbours, a Philippine Institute for Development Studies report says.
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China has eased foreign investment restrictions by cutting the number of prohibited or limited sectors in its updated 2025 "negative list," as Beijing seeks to boost investor confidence amid growing economic pressures and escalating U.S. tariffs.
A coordinated Russian missile and drone assault struck Kyiv and Kharkiv early Thursday, injuring 21 people and igniting fires across several neighborhoods, in one of the most intense attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
India moved swiftly to scale back its diplomatic ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, a day after a deadly militant attack in Kashmir killed 26 tourists, marking the country’s worst civilian massacre in nearly 20 years and escalating tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
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