The US
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is heightening the scrutiny of the
work audit firms do for cryptocurrency companies, a senior official of the
regulator told the Wall Street Journal. "We're warning investors to be very wary of
some of the claims that are being made by crypto companies," said Paul
Munter, SEC's acting chief accountant in an interview with the journal.The SEC did not immediately respond to a Reuters
request for comment on the report. The development comes as the implosion of FTX
has rippled across the industry, hobbling liquidity at firms with exposure to
what was once one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges, and has prompted investigations
by regulators in several countries. The development comes as the implosion of FTX
has rippled across the industry, hobbling liquidity at firms with exposure to
what was once one of the world's biggest crypto exchanges, and has prompted investigations
by regulators in several countries. Last month, FTX filed for US bankruptcy
protection and its founder Sam Bankman-Fried resigned as chief executive, after
rival exchange Binance walked away from a proposed acquisition.