Crypto fund manager Bitwise hires former federal prosecutor as general counsel

Bitwise Asset Management, the crypto-focused fund manager, has hired Katherine Dowling as its first general counsel.

Dowling, a Harvard Law School alumnus, spent more than a decade as an assistant attorney in the economic crimes unit of the United States Attorney’s Office in San Francisco, where she prosecuted crimes including insider trading and Ponzi schemes, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Dowling also served stints at Credit Suisse and, more recently, at a handful of venture capital and private equity firms. She begins at Bitwise on March 5.

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“In recent years, the cryptocurrency industry has evolved and expanded more rapidly than many believed was possible,” said Bitwise president Teddy Fusaro. “At Bitwise, we serve professional investors, many of whom are entering this asset class for the first time. These developments require the creation of a regulatory environment that both educates and protects investors while fostering innovation. Katherine’s experience will help Bitwise continue to lead the industry in achieving these goals.”

The San Francisco-based Bitwise, which launched the first cryptocurrency-focused index fund, recently surpassed the $1 billion mark in assets under management across its various products.

Those funds include the Bitwise 10 Crypto Index Fund, Bitwise Bitcoin Fund and Bitwise Ethereum Fund. The company debuted its first decentralised finance-focused fund on February 17, offering investors exposure to DeFi projects such as Uniswap, Aave, Maker and Compound.

About Author

Ryan Weeks is deals editor at the The Block, focused on fundraising, M&A and institutional trends in the crypto space, among other things. He is particularly interested in investigative work — so please send tips! Ryan previously worked at Financial News, Dow Jones as a fintech correspondent in London. Prior to that, he wrote for several different publications, including Sifted, AltFi and Wired. Beyond journalism, Ryan is a keen reader and writer. He enjoys all things active, especially running, rugby, climbing and tennis.