Bitcoin News
By Bruce Buterin
1 / 15
François Garcin Demands 11.32 Million Euros. The man behind the lawsuit is François Garcin, founder of Argenthal.
2 / 15
Gérard Mestrallet, EDF, and Promised Billions. The court documents go further. Garcin is said to have drafted a strategic letter intended for…
3 / 15
Implications for Foreign Investments in Crypto. The case raises a broader question. If the allegations are true, how did French authorities…
4 / 15
MARA has a major problem. A lawsuit filed on July 22 in the federal court of the Southern District of New York directly targets the mining giant, accused of hiding the true…
5 / 15
The acquisition, finalized on February 20, 2026, cost 148 million euros. The structure: 115 million euros in new shares, 33 million euros to buy existing shares.
6 / 15
The man behind the lawsuit is François Garcin, founder of Argenthal. He and several affiliated companies — including Athanor, LLC and Argenthal Global Holdings Ltd — are…
7 / 15
Garcin didn't just send emails. He allegedly coordinated direct discussions with EDF, TotalEnergies, Engie, and other major French energy players.
8 / 15
The court documents go further. Garcin is said to have drafted a strategic letter intended for EDF, a document establishing a direct link between electricity produced in France…
9 / 15
And then there's Gérard Mestrallet. The former CEO of Engie became a consultant for MARA in August 2025.
10 / 15
Read also: Ether Funds Attract Almost as Much Liquidity as Bitcoin ETFs Despite 8x Asset Gap
11 / 15
The lawsuit also mentions Fred Thiel — no title specified in the documents — who allegedly asked Garcin to reassure French authorities that MARA posed no strategic risk to the…
12 / 15
The case raises a broader question. If the allegations are true, how did French authorities authorize the acquisition of Exaion without having the full picture?
13 / 15
That might be the real issue. Not just the 11.32 million euros demanded by Garcin. But the question of whether the information provided to French authorities during the…
14 / 15
French authorities have yet to comment publicly. No statement from the Élysée, Matignon, or EDF. Total silence from Paris.
15 / 15
Read also: Ethereum and Bitcoin ETFs Bleed Friday Despite Strong July Inflows
The Currency Analytics
Want the full story?