Early Coinbase Executive Adam White Is Leaving the Firm

Adam White, one of U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase's most senior executives and fifth-ever employee, is leaving the company.

AccessTimeIconOct 5, 2018 at 9:35 a.m. UTC
Updated Aug 18, 2021 at 9:59 p.m. UTC

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

Adam White, one of U.S.-based crypto exchange Coinbase's most senior executives and fifth-ever employee, is leaving the company.

White, whose most recently led the institution-focused section of the firm's operations, was said to departing by Coinbase on Thursday, a Reuters report indicates.

  • Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
    13:18
    Bitcoin Mining in the U.S. Will Become 'a Lot More Decentralized': Core Scientific CEO
  • Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
    05:10
    Binance to Discontinue Its Nigerian Naira Services After Government Scrutiny
  • The first video of the year 2024
    04:07
    The first video of the year 2024
  • The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
    40:07
    The last regression video of the year 3.67.0
  • According to his LinkedIn profile, he has held the dual roles of vice president and general manager of Coinbase Institutional for two years, having joined in 2013 as vice president, business development & product management.

    As reported by CoinDesk, the San Francisco-headquartered startup also revealed earlier this week that it has hired former Instinet CEO Jonathan Kellner as its new managing director of the Institutional Coverage Group.

    Coinbase representative Elliott Suthers reportedly said in a statement that Kellner will be taking on some aspects of White's role at the firm.

    Coinbase co-founder and CEO Brian Armstrong said:

    "Over the past five years, Adam helped us build our exchange business into the largest US-based crypto-trading venue and was integral to growing Coinbase's global presence and scaling our culture to multiple offices."

    The firm did not give an indication of what White's plans might be following his departure.

    The news comes amid a flurry of staff additions at Coinbase, with the exchange having also hired former Charles Schwab advisor Chris Dodds to its board of directors and former JPMorgan executive director Oputa Ezediaro to its Institutional Coverage Group.

    The changes all align with the company's plan to introduce more traditional finance institutions to the world of crypto assets.

    As part of that push, it recently opened a New York office in order to be closer to Wall Street, and is planning to expand to 150 employees next year – up from 20 at the time of reporting.

    According to the company, the bear market for cryptocurrencies in 2018 has not suppressed institutional demand for the novel asset class.

    "When we saw the market begin to correct, which we all expected, institutions didn't lose interest," White told CoinDesk in mid-September. "It was exactly the opposite."

    Adam White image via Coinbase blog

    Disclosure

    Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

    CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


    Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.