Report: Ledger co-founder David Balland launched after kidnapping

• Ledger co-founder David Balland had been kidnapped on Tuesday
• Earlier reviews claimed the opposite Ledger co-founder Eric Larchevêque was the one kidnapped
• The abductors reportedly demanded a major quantity of ransom in crypto

Kidnappers have launched David Balland, a retired co-founder of crypto {hardware} pockets maker Ledger.

Balland, who had been kidnapped on Tuesday, was reportedly launched late Wednesday after an operation by French police. Bloomberg first reported on the information of the Ledger co-founder’s launch on Thursday, January 23.

Ransom demand in cryptocurrency

In line with an announcement from the Paris prosecutor’s workplace, Balland’s kidnappers had put up a major ransom demand. The criminals requested for the ransom to be paid in cryptocurrency.

French day by day newspaper Le Parisien additionally confirmed that the Ledger co-founder had been rescued by the Nationwide Gendarmerie Intervention Group (GIGN), France’s elite counter-terrorism police unit.

🔴 Enlevé et séquestré, David Balland, cofondateur de l’entreprise de cryptomonnaies Ledger, a été secouru ce mercredi par le GIGN

Les kidnappeurs auraient envoyé un doigt dans le cadre de leur demande de remise d’argent.

Des recherches se poursuivent
➡️ https://t.co/9PWZWo03iM pic.twitter.com/NVMPqcweje

— Le Parisien (@le_Parisien) January 23, 2025

Information of Balland’s launch comes a day after reviews emerged {that a} Ledger government had been kidnapped in Paris.

The rumours talked about Eric Larchevêque, additionally a co-founder of the France-based crypto firm. Shortly after the rumors started, crypto information outlet The Huge Whale’s co-founder Grégory Raymond famous that reviews of  Larchevêque’s kidnapping had been inaccurate.

🔴 NEWS @TheBigWhale_

We’re in a position to guarantee that @EricLarch (co-founder of @Ledger) isn’t concerned within the kidnapping rumor about him

Watch out with revealed data that might threaten an ongoing investigation in France and presumably another person’s life

— Grégory Raymond 🐳 (@gregory_raymond) January 22, 2025

Raymond additionally posted an replace on X confirming Balland had been launched and that police had been nonetheless investigating the matter.