Confirmed financial losses in 2025 exceeded $40.9 million, up 44% year over year, with kidnapping the most common attack method and physical assaults jumping 250%.
Driving that increase is a rise in crypto-related violence in Europe, which accounted for over 40% of global incidents in 2025, up from just 22% in 2024.
France has emerged as the epicenter of this crisis, recording 19 attacks throughout the year and surpassing the U.S., which saw eight incidents.
While the U.S. saw its share of incidents drop from 36.6% in 2024 to just 12.5% in 2025, Europe's surge was driven by proliferating crypto-jacking groups in France, Spain, and Sweden.
Asia remained a persistent high-risk zone with 33.3% of wrench attacks, largely targeting crypto-tourists and expats in hubs like Thailand and Hong Kong, a shift from earlier years when most such attacks were concentrated in Asia and North America.
Last year’s first quarter saw 21 incidents in total worldwide, while May was the most violent single month with 10 recorded attacks, according to the report.
For institutions and high-net-worth individuals, CertiK advises implementing multi-signature wallet architectures with 2-of-3 or 3-of-5 signature schemes, time-locked smart contracts that enforce mandatory delays on large withdrawals, and formalized executive protection protocols extending to family members and close associates.
