(Reuters) - Crypto investors need better protection in a space that is "significantly non-compliant" despite clear regulations, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler said in an interview to CNBC on Thursday.
"The runway is running out. Investors around the globe are getting hurt," he said while calling for cooperation from crypto companies.
The crypto industry continues to wobble due to fears of a possible collapse at FTX, one of the biggest digital asset exchanges in the world, after its bigger rival Binance abandoned a bailout deal for the company.
Gensler has for long argued the "Wild West" of crypto should be more actively regulated. He had in September suggested that companies that help transactions in the crypto market should register with the SEC and may need to split their operations into separate legal entities to mitigate conflicts of interest.
Months ago, the SEC began a probe of FTX.com's handling of customers funds and its crypto lending activities.