The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is having difficulty attracting and retaining cryptocurrency experts due to internal hiring restrictions, according to a new report from the inspector general. This comes at a time when the SEC is actively focused on policing the blockchain industry, which Chairman Gary Gensler has described as "largely non-compliant with the law."

The main problem is that the people who know the most about cryptocurrency are often investors, which is a no-no for potential SEC employees. The report notes that cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence are industries around which the SEC must “continuously adapt and create new knowledge and capabilities.”