The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has allocated 20 additional positions to the division responsible for protecting investors and cyber threats in crypto markets.

The number of employees of the Crypto Assets and Cyber ​​Unit, which is part of law enforcement, will reach 50 people.

“The U.S. has the largest capital markets because investors believe in them, and as access to crypto markets expands, it becomes increasingly important to dedicate more resources to protecting them,” said SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.

According to the press release, the expanded section will focus on securities law violations related to:

• offer and exchange of crypto assets;
• lending and staking products;
• DeFi platforms;
• non-tradable tokens;
• fixed coins.

The agency recalled that since its founding in 2017, the group has carried out more than 80 enforcement actions, resulting in more than $2 billion in monetary compensation.

Originally established as the Cyber ​​Unit, the unit has repeatedly filed lawsuits against public companies for failing to provide proper cybersecurity controls. Some firms did not properly disclose the events and associated risks in this area.

“Crypto markets have exploded in recent years, and the burden of abuse in this space falls on retail investors. “Meanwhile, cyber threats continue to pose existential risks to our financial markets and their participants.”

Recall that in January, the SEC changed one of the priorities as part of the bitcoin tightening regulation of the crypto industry.