SEC Expanded Crypto Enforcement Unit By 20 Personnel

SEC expanded crypto enforcement unit by 20 people after they announced they will add more people to the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit and better monitor the crypto industry so let’s read more today in our latest cryptocurrency news.

The US SEC expanded its crypto enforcement by 20 personnel and according to a statement, the expansion will bring the number of personnel to 50 overseeing the crypto industry. The commission outlined crypto exchanges, staking services and lending, and DEFI and stablecoins and NFTs as sectors on which the unit will focus upon. The SEC’s enforcement director Gurbir S Grewl said:

“Crypto markets have exploded in recent years, with retail investors bearing the brunt of abuses in this space. The bolstered Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit will be at the forefront of protecting investors and ensuring fair and orderly markets in the face of these critical challenges.”

The unit was called the “cyber Unit” and is now called “Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit” which will remain in the larger Division of Enforcement that leads investigations into securities law violations and acts as the Commission police force. The SEC chair Gary Gensler said:

“By nearly doubling the size of this key unit, the SEC will be better equipped to police wrongdoing in the crypto markets while continuing to identify disclosure and controls issues with respect to cybersecurity.”

The unit was formed back in 2017 and with the rise of ICOs in the crypto space, the tool swapped investors with established crypto such as Ethereum for the newly minted tokens from the project that runs the ICO. They are less popular as the SEC cracked down on the other tools and issue a number of subpoenas for companies that launch the ICO for breaching the securities laws. Besides investigating ICOs, the SEC turned much of the attention towards the DEFI and the NFT space. Both of the sectors could be in the business of selling unregistered securities.

Gensler said that while each token’s legal status depends on the facts and circumstances, the probability is remote that with 50 or 100 tokens any given platform has zero securities, and with more resources, the SEC will be better able to put Gensler’s claims to the test.