The Block reported on March 3, 2021, that Bitwise Asset Management had hired Katherine Dowling as "its first general counsel"2. Bitwise announced the appointment the next day, March 4, 2021, in a release with a San Francisco dateline1. Her title there was general counsel and chief compliance officer. Dowling had spent a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney, prosecuting insider trading and Ponzi schemes. She later moved into private equity and wealth management compliance roles.
27 executive hires on the record in 2021
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified, by year
- 2021: 27
- 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 12 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 20 |
| 2024 | 39 |
| 2025 | 59 |
Capital Markets & Treasury led executive hires in 2021, with four
Executive hires CryptoLately has verified in 2021, by the sector of the company
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Capital Markets & Treasury | 4 |
| Wallets & Consumer Apps | 4 |
| Bitcoin & Mining | 3 |
| Trading Venues & Brokerage | 2 |
| Institutional Custody & Asset Management | 1 |
| Layer 1s & Infrastructure | 1 |
| DeFi Protocols | 1 |
The move
Bitwise CEO Hunter Horsley named the reasoning in the firm's own announcement. “We are delighted to have Katherine join the Bitwise leadership team. Her unique blend of experiences and capabilities connect several of the most important vantage points for understanding and leading the development of the emerging crypto asset class,” Horsley said1. Bitwise's assets under management had just crossed $1 billion. Bitwise named four funds in its announcement: Bitwise 10 Crypto Index, DeFi Crypto Index, Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Teddy Fusaro, Bitwise's president, framed the hire around regulation. The Block carried his comments the day before the firm's own post went up. “In recent years, the cryptocurrency industry has evolved and expanded more rapidly than many believed was possible,” Fusaro said2. He added that the firm served “professional investors, many of whom are entering this asset class for the first time,”. Dowling's experience would help Bitwise "continue to lead the industry," he said, in building rules that protect investors while allowing innovation.
Dowling's record before Bitwise
Harvard Law School trained Dowling1. She then worked in the Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California, from 2003 to 2014. She prosecuted insider trading, Ponzi schemes, identity theft and fraud cases there, Bitwise's announcement said. Private equity came next. Dowling served as managing director, chief operating officer and chief compliance officer at Luminate Capital Partners. She held the same compliance role at True Capital Management, a wealth advisory firm with more than $1 billion in assets, the announcement said. Dowling started at Bitwise on March 5, 2021, The Block reported2.
What came next
Dowling remained Bitwise's general counsel and chief compliance officer as of April 10, 2025. CNBC had her on air on April 10, in that same title, discussing the Senate's confirmation of Paul Atkins as SEC chair and stablecoin regulation on Capitol Hill3. Regulatory questions were still landing on Dowling's desk on April 10, 2025, the role Bitwise hired her for in March 202112.
Sources
- "Katherine Dowling Joins Bitwise as General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer," Bitwise Asset Management, March 4, 2021, https://bitwiseinvestments.com/newsroom/katherine-dowling-joins-bitwise-as-general-counsel-chief-compliance-officer
- Ryan Weeks, "Crypto fund manager Bitwise hires former federal prosecutor as general counsel," The Block, March 3, 2021, https://www.theblock.co/linked/96953/bitwise-general-counsel-hire-dowling-crypto
- Talia Kaplan, "Bitwise general counsel reacts to Senate confirmation of Paul Atkins for SEC chair," CNBC, April 10, 2025, https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitgFBVV95cUxNTzczOENiVUNpWTRiTlhPb0kzRk15Q200M1dkZGhBWXg0emZaY1B3YVFDVno2djRjR0k0N2hpSlA4cWtmYk9VUzV2SE1ZZ1FEeEdZMGZIZlE4M253dnctWkRiR19tMXFueGMzNmlKczRiVk9mTXJXdDRzRkNZOU5mYlJvLUFCUloxZzJ1NU94bmkxS2dOYXFJbFNxXy01Ti1KZW1zdzdybTNSYVgwN251R3FfX2VOUQ?oc=5