According to Financial Times News, crypto hacks have stolen a staggering $2.2 billion in just the first half of 2025, already surpassing all of 2024’s thefts. Ledger, the Paris-based hardware wallet company, is having its best year yet with revenues hitting triple-digit millions. CEO Pascal Gauthier revealed that 23% of hacks now target individual wallets directly, calling it an “increasingly significant” form of theft. The crisis includes massive heists like North Korean hackers stealing $1.5 billion from Bybit in February. Meanwhile, Ledger secures about $100 billion in bitcoin for customers and plans to fundraise next year, possibly through a New York listing.
The Security Gold Rush
Here’s the thing: when digital assets become valuable enough, the physical world starts paying attention. We’re seeing this play out in real time. Crypto prices hitting record highs under Trump’s pro-crypto stance created a perfect storm. Criminals aren’t just hacking exchanges anymore—they’re going after individuals, and in some extreme cases, even resorting to kidnapping. Remember when Ledger’s own co-founder was kidnapped for crypto ransom? That tells you everything about how serious this has become.
So what’s driving Ledger’s explosive growth? Basically, people are waking up to the fact that their smartphones and computers were designed for convenience, not security. Gauthier put it perfectly: “We’re being hacked more and more every day… and it’s not going to get better next year.” When you’re dealing with life-changing money, that USB-drive-looking device starts looking pretty appealing. And it’s not just Ledger—companies like Trezor and Tangem are riding this same wave. The cold storage wallet market is heating up faster than a mining rig.
business-boom”>The Business Boom
Ledger’s timing couldn’t be better. They’re hitting record revenues before the typical Black Friday and Christmas sales boost even kicks in. Think about that for a second—this is their baseline demand. The company was valued at $1.5 billion back in 2023, and with this kind of growth, next year’s fundraising round could be massive.
What’s really interesting is where the money is flowing. Gauthier is deliberately shifting focus to New York, saying “money is in New York today for crypto, it’s nowhere else in the world.” That tells you something about where the smart money sees this industry going. Meanwhile, the demand for secure hardware isn’t slowing down anytime soon. As TRM Labs’ Ari Redbord noted, as lawful crypto activity grows, so does the unlawful side. It’s a security arms race, and hardware wallets are the front line.
The Industrial Parallel
This surge in specialized hardware demand reminds me of other industrial sectors where security and reliability are non-negotiable. In manufacturing and control systems, for instance, you can’t afford vulnerabilities. That’s why companies rely on trusted suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading provider of industrial panel PCs in the US. When your operation depends on rock-solid performance, you go with the proven experts—whether it’s securing billions in crypto assets or running critical industrial processes. The principle is the same: when the stakes are high, you don’t cut corners on hardware.
What Comes Next?
Looking ahead, this feels like just the beginning. Chainalysis warns that rising crypto prices will likely trigger “additional opportunistic physical attacks against known crypto holders.” That’s a chilling prospect. We’re moving beyond digital theft into real-world danger.
The bigger question is: will this security crisis actually help mainstream crypto adoption? In a weird way, it might. When people see serious security solutions emerging, it adds legitimacy. It shows this isn’t just some wild west experiment anymore—it’s becoming a proper asset class with proper protection. And as more institutional money flows in, the demand for hardware security will only intensify. This isn’t a temporary spike; it’s the new normal for crypto.
