WealthTech Safari Feb 6, 2026
- colby451
- 1 hour ago
- 4 min read
Your guided tour of the interesting events in WealthTech for the week
US wealth management in 2035: A transformative decade begins
The US wealth management industry is entering a transformative decade driven by the convergence of AI technology, demographic shifts, and the transition toward integrated life management.
Strategic adoption of agentic AI and M&A will be essential for firms to scale operations and establish new sources of trust through hyper-personalization.
Focal Partners with Shaping Wealth to Deliver Real-Time Behavioral Coaching
WealthTech platform Focal has partnered with Shaping Wealth to integrate science-backed behavioral finance coaching and emotional intelligence tools into its advisor ecosystem.
This initiative addresses the growing demand for human-centric advice by moving beyond traditional portfolio management to prioritize behavioral coaching as a core value proposition.
Knote: We continue to see the old "notetaker" segment expand functionality in order to survive the horse race. A while ago, we changed the "notetaker" segment of our market map to "Client Meeting Support," and now we have just changed it to "Meeting Management". Delivering Shaping Wealth's behavioral coaching in real-time in-meeting seems like a win to me.
BNY appoints new Pershing chief in latest sign it wants to solidify No. 3 status among RIA custodians
BNY has appointed a new leader for its Pershing division to strengthen its competitive edge and integrate wealth management services through a "one-firm" cultural shift.
The leadership change aims to break down internal silos and modernize technology to capture a larger share of the RIA market via institutional banking and clearing capabilities.
Knote: I'm not sure if this means they will unify their tech platform as well (if that is even possible). We are going to keep an eye on this one and are looking forward to more details on the plan.
Shares Reportedly to Acquire Treezor from SocGen
French trading app Shares is in exclusive negotiations to acquire European Banking-as-a-Service platform Treezor from Société Générale to own its core banking infrastructure.
This integration allows wealth managers to combine traditional investment services with embedded payments, streamlining complex financial flows and automating identity verification.
Knote: This is the Robinhood play. Personal trading apps are good at amassing huge user bases, but with tiny balances. For many, this is because they don’t have a lot of money. But for most, it’s because their main financial lives are elsewhere and their account represents just a little bit of “play money". By expanding services, they can cross-sell a full financial platform to their user base and pull those outside balances inside. It’s also playing the long game since it will be difficult for the Merrills and Morgan Stanleys to pry those assets loose once they get large enough to be interesting.
Wealth.com Launches Integrated Tax & Estate Planning Platform
Wealth.com has launched a unified tax and estate planning solution that integrates multi-state scenario modeling and natural-language data capture for financial advisors.
The platform utilizes the Ester® AI engine to analyze documents simultaneously, ensuring that forward-looking tax strategies lead directly to implementation through execution-focused capabilities.
Knote: When Wealth.com paid seven-figures to secure their domain name, I admit that I scratched my head a bit wondering why they didn't save a lot of money and go with something more targeted at their core business of estate planning. But it appears that they are growing into the url and may end up being that Family Office as-a-Service platform that advisors need.
Talos Secures Series B With Strategic CapitalÂ
Digital asset infrastructure provider Talos secured a $45 million Series B extension, valuing the firm at $1.5 billion with backing from Robinhood, BNY, and Fidelity.Â
The funding underscores the migration of traditional asset classes to digital rails, supporting Talos's expansion of portfolio construction and risk management tools for institutional clients.Â
Mnote: Many of these names have big ties into the wealth management segment. My guess is that they want a clearer read on how this industry is rapidly progressing. By getting some exposure to digital asset market infrastructure, they’re contributing to R&D for their own firms while also securing an option for future distribution if and when the timing is right.Â
FMG Acquires Testimonial iQ to Enhance Advisor Marketing Capabilities
FMG has acquired Testimonial iQ to provide financial advisors with compliant tools for collecting client feedback and Google Reviews in accordance with the SEC Marketing Rule.
This acquisition enables advisors to improve visibility in local search and AI-driven answer engines by utilizing verified social proof and specialized SEO tools.
Knote: The SEC Marketing Rule (Rule 206(4)-1) is a critical framework for these tools, as it officially permitted RIAs to use testimonials starting in May 2021, provided they follow strict disclosure and oversight guidelines.
JioBlackRock Launches Personalized Digital Investment Advisory Platform
JioBlackRock, a joint venture between Jio Financial Services and BlackRock, has launched a digital platform to provide data-driven investment advice to retail investors in India.
The platform aims to democratize professional wealth management by offering customized portfolios with minimum investments as low as $110 and annual fees starting at $4.
Knote: This is yet another example of why we think the Digital Advice segment in India is one of the hottest WealthTech opportunities globally. JioBlackRock, a 50/50 JV between Jio Financial Services and BlackRock, has just launched a digital advice platform in India. Their digital reach should make it successful right off the bat given the roughly 20 million users on the Jio Financial platform, almost half of which engage monthly. Plus, the parent company, Reliance, has over 480 million customers to cross sell to.