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Bank of America. (2026, March 26). Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank Launch AI-Powered Meeting Journey. Bank of America Newsroom. https://newsroom.bankofamerica.com/content/newsroom/press-releases/2026/03/merrill-and-bank-of-america-private-bank-launch-ai-powered-meeti.html Merrill and Bank of America Private Bank have launched "AI-Powered Meeting Journey," an integrated solution designed to automate the full lifecycle of client engagement for financial advisors. The platform streamlines advisor workflows by providing intelligent tools for meeting preparation, real-time AI notetaking, and automated follow-up task generation. According to the firm, this new capability can save financial advisors up to four hours per meeting across millions of client interactions annually. The tool utilizes advanced natural language processing to capture key discussion points and create shareable summaries while maintaining strict enterprise-grade security standards. This rollout is part of Bank of America’s broader $13.5 billion annual technology investment, which includes $4 billion specifically dedicated to new AI and digital initiatives. The solution integrates directly with the firm’s proprietary Salesforce CRM and advisor workstations to ensure seamless data synchronization and administrative efficiency. Future advancements will focus on further accelerating advisor capacity and supporting more proactive, personalized guidance through a high-tech and high-touch service model. Knote: Merrill was one of those firms that did not want to deploy notetakers for liability reasons. It looks like the allure of saving thousands of advisor hours finally wore them down.

CurrentClient, a voice and text communication platform for financial advisors, announced the closing of a $1.25 million seed funding round led by Thicket Ventures. The investment marks a significant milestone for the Provo, Utah based company as it seeks to scale its operations and enhance real time engagement between advisors and their clients. As part of the transaction, Justin Wisz, a partner at Thicket Ventures, has joined the CurrentClient board of directors. The firm also announced the appointment of Austin Guest, formerly of Finny, as its new head of sales to drive adoption across the wealth management landscape. The platform provides a compliant and integrated phone and messaging system specifically designed for registered investment advisors and financial planners. CurrentClient focuses on eliminating the friction associated with traditional communication methods while ensuring all interactions meet strict regulatory standards. The software allows advisors to utilize modern messaging channels without compromising oversight or security. By centralizing these communications, the company seeks to help firms maintain a cohesive digital presence and provide a more intuitive experience for a diverse client base. This funding arrives as the wealth management industry faces increased pressure regarding off-channel communications. Since 2021, regulators have issued fines exceeding $2.7 billion for violations related to federal securities laws and recordkeeping. CurrentClient intends to use the capital to support product expansion and accelerate its mission to modernize the foundational architecture of advisor communications. Knote: It's nice to see a good, old-fashioned VC seed investment in an early stage company. VC funding has been coming back, but for the <$10mm checks, it is still very slow. Link to Source

FinTech Global. (2026, March 25). Flanks launches AI financial advisor for wealth managers. FinTech Global. https://fintech.global/2026/03/25/flanks-launches-ai-financial-advisor-for-wealth-managers/ WealthTech firm Flanks, a company best known for its account aggregation, has launched a new AI Financial Advisor designed to serve as an intelligent co-pilot for wealth management professionals. The platform utilizes a multi-agent AI framework that allows advisors to interrogate complex, multi-custodian portfolios using natural language queries. Users can access instant, contextualized analysis across all asset classes, including automated currency normalization and private equity capital call tracking. The tool is engineered to provide descriptive analysis while strictly adhering to compliance guardrails that prevent it from issuing specific investment recommendations. All data processing occurs within Flanks' secure in-house environment to ensure that sensitive client information is never shared with public artificial intelligence systems. The underlying technology integrates with over 600 financial institutions across 33 countries to deliver cleaned and validated wealth data. Knote: There isn't much of a moat around AI tools these days, except one: data. So it makes sense that one of Europe's largest portfolio aggregation companies would field an AI overlay.

Corebridge Financial and Equitable Holdings. (2026, March 25). Corebridge Financial and Equitable Holdings Announce Transformational Merger. Business Wire. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260325187893/en/Corebridge-Financial-and-Equitable-Holdings-Announce-Transformational-Merger Corebridge Financial and Equitable Holdings have entered into a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction. The combined entity will establish a premier financial services provider focused on retirement, asset management, and insurance solutions. Both organizations expect the merger to deliver substantial shareholder value through optimized capital management and operational synergies. The leadership teams anticipate that the increased scale will accelerate the development of digital tools and bespoke investment products. The transaction is subject to regulatory reviews and approval by the respective shareholders of each firm. Expected to close by the end of the year. Upon closing, the unified company will operate under the Equitable brand, but Corebridge will own 51% and the Corebridge CEO will take the CEO position. Knote: It's not WealthTech per se, but will likely shake-up the tech stack over the next 24 months, so heads up.

Whitbread, S. (2026, March 24). Fundment tops Defaqto 2026 Platform Service Ratings in adviser survey. IFA Magazine. https://ifamagazine.com/fundment-tops-defaqto-2026-platform-service-ratings-in-adviser-survey/ UK-based AdvisorOS firm Fundment achieved the highest overall ranking in Defaqto’s 2026 Platform Service Ratings by outperforming larger and more established industry providers. The 2026 ratings were determined by an independent survey of 384 financial advisers who evaluated platforms across 10 distinct service disciplines. Behind the top-ranked Fundment, Quilter and Parmenion secured the second and third positions respectively for their overall service performance. While established brands like Aviva and AJ Bell remain the most nominated by usage, leadership in service quality is shifting toward specialist providers. Advisers ranked new business administration as the most critical service area and also reported it as the discipline where platforms perform most effectively. Defaqto awarded Gold Service Ratings to providers that reached a 70% satisfaction benchmark across the weighted categories of the annual study. The survey results indicate that consistent service delivery is becoming a primary differentiator for advisers when conducting platform due diligence. Knote: Fundment has come from nowhere to rocket to the top slot with a modern platform that we would say is easy, functional, and importantly, when you turn it on it just plain works. US legacy platforms should take note.

BlackRock. (2021, August 16). iCapital and Aladdin Wealth Partner to Bring Alternatives into the Core Advisor Portfolio. BlackRock. https://www.blackrock.com/aladdin/discover/press-release-icapital-and-aladdin-wealth-partner-to-bring-alternatives-into-the-core-advisor-portfolio iCapital Network and BlackRock’s Aladdin Wealth have established a strategic partnership to integrate alternative investments into the portfolio management process for wealth managers. The collaboration aims to simplify the inclusion of private markets within client portfolios by providing sophisticated risk analytics and reporting tools. Financial advisors using Aladdin Wealth will gain access to iCapital’s technology for streamlined execution and monitoring of alternative investment products. This integration allows wealth managers to view private assets alongside traditional investments to create a more comprehensive and holistic portfolio view. By combining iCapital’s alternative investment infrastructure with Aladdin’s analytics, the firms seek to redefine the standard for private asset management in the wealth industry. Knote: My only real question is "what took them so long?" I will be interested to see how the Aladdin platform handles the analytics around mixed public/private portfolios. That is a gap in the market at the moment, in my opinion.

Cerulli Associates. (2026). U.S. Retail Investor Solutions 2026. Cerulli Associates. https://www.cerulli.com/reports/u.s.-retail-investor-solutions-2026 U.S. households control more than $102 trillion in financial assets as of year-end 2025, representing a 12% increase compared to 2024. Middle-market and mass-affluent households with assets between $100,000 and $2 million have grown their total wealth from $14 trillion to $25 trillion since 2013. This segment comprises 46.9 million households that are typically younger and less advised than their ultra-high-net-worth counterparts. Growth in this market will benefit providers that can effectively offer streamlined advisory services at scale to meet the demand for involved relationships. Service providers must engage prospects earlier in their lifecycle or develop more effective strategies to displace incumbent advisors. Knote: Cerulli also estimates that the $100,000 to $2,000,000 segment rose to $25 Trillion and 47 million households. I'm calling that out because it should be of interest to growth-minded advisors as these prospects are more "gettable" than more established households. They note a stat I have not seen before and like: new client engagement drops from 44% for those under 30 to 24% for those over 50.

The Daily Upside. (2025, January 08). AssetMark Becomes Latest Firm to Add New Tax Planning Tools. The Daily Upside. https://www.thedailyupside.com/advisor/wealthtech/assetmark-becomes-latest-firm-to-add-new-tax-planning-tools/ AssetMark has launched several new features on its Adhesion wealth platform specifically designed to enhance tax-aware planning for registered investment advisors. The update introduces advanced direct indexing and separately managed account capabilities to help firms scale their specialized tax-efficiency services. According to CEO Michael Kim, the firm invested over $60 million in technology development last year to meet the rising demand for personalized investor outcomes. The platform now provides daily account monitoring and automated optimization to assist advisors with complex and tax-sensitive portfolio transitions. New reporting tools offer monthly and year-end account-level tax savings data to help advisors clearly demonstrate their value to clients. Internal data from 2025 shows that advisors utilizing AssetMark's tax management services generated an average annual tax savings of 1.42% for their clients. Knote: Altruist and Orion also announced tax-optimized investing initiatives in the last few months. I am getting the impression that people don't like to pay taxes.

Bhakta, P. (2026, March 23). AI-led wealthtech rising as VCs bet on a fintech disruption. ET CIO. https://cio.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/investments/ai-led-wealthtech-rising-as-vcs-bet-on-a-fintech-disruption/129742191 Venture capital is increasingly focused on AI-powered wealth management in India as middle-income investors diversify their portfolios. New-age startups are utilizing artificial intelligence to provide personalized advisory services at a lower cost than traditional models. The availability of structured financial data through the India Stack has significantly eased the deployment of AI-driven financial products. AI technologies have reduced servicing costs to a level where managing smaller asset bases is now economically viable for fintech firms. Startups such as Otto Money and Bachatt are actively raising capital to scale their AI-led advisory and savings platforms. Established financial institutions are also adopting AI to increase the efficiency of their relationship managers and improve client interaction. Scaling these platforms remains challenging due to the need for high levels of consumer trust and the potential commoditization of advisory services. Knote: We continue to believe D2C advice in India to be one of the most attractive WealthTech opportunities globally. The main driver is the massive and rapidly growing mass affluent population, lack of professional advisors, and shift from gold and real estate to financial assets. The AI part is just the cherry on top.

BlackRock. (2026, March 23). BlackRock 2025 Annual Results and 2030 Strategic Ambitions. BlackRock. https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/investor-relations/larry-fink-annual-chairmans-letter#section-3-blackrocks-work-in-2025-and-the-road-ahead • BlackRock aims to achieve a cumulative $400 billion in private markets gross fundraising by 2030. • The firm integrated major acquisitions including Global Infrastructure Partners, HPS Investment Partners, and Preqin to scale its private market platform. • Private markets and technology services are projected to contribute 30% or more of BlackRock's total revenue by the year 2030. • The acquisition of Preqin enables the integration of private market data and workflows into the unified Aladdin platform. • Infrastructure growth is anchored by the $25.2 billion GIP flagship fund and strategic investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure. • BlackRock is expanding private market access for wealth and insurance clients through innovative separately managed account solutions. • The company is advocating for regulatory frameworks to incorporate private market investments into United States 401(k) retirement plans. Knote: In last year's letter, Larry Fink envisioned the 60/40 portfolio moving to a 50/30/20 portfolio with the 20 being alternatives. Sounds like they are aiming to drag it there themselves, with or without anyone else.

Allfunds Group plc. (2026, March 3). Allfunds reports record €1.76 Trillion AuA and 74% Alternatives growth. Allfunds. https://app.allfunds.com/docs/cms/Press_Release_FY_25_Preliminary_Results_VF_03eb1ecb7a.pdf Total assets under administration in the alternatives segment grew 74% year-on-year to reach €33.8 billion as of December 2025. The alternatives distribution assets under administration achieved exceptional growth of 83% year-on-year, totaling €18.4 billion. Allfunds expanded its platform to include 213 alternative fund houses to meet accelerating demand. The platform maintains active partnerships with prominent alternative investment firms such as KKR, Blackstone, Apollo, and Carlyle. Distributors are demonstrating increased interest in private market funds, leading existing clients to expand their current allocations. A growing number of new distributors are joining Allfunds specifically to gain access to the alternatives ecosystem. The significant growth in the alternatives business reinforces its status as a key strategic priority for the Group's future development. Knote: We continue to maintain that TAMPs will be the largest beneficiaries of the Alts2Wealth movement. 74% growth and at least anecdotal evidence of capturing new clients looking for alternatives.

GeoWealth, a turnkey asset management platform for registered investment advisors, has secured $42.5 million in strategic funding from Goldman Sachs Asset Management. They are describing this as an expansion of last August’s $38 million Series C funding round that saw participation from the likes of J.P. Morgan, BlackRock, and Apollo. This brings the total for the round to $80.5 million, if we understand that correctly. The platform provides essential wealth management technology and investment solutions that allow firms to scale their operations. By utilizing a unified managed account framework, the company enables advisors to oversee complex portfolios and client accounts through a centralized digital interface. The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate its product roadmap and specifically improve its technical infrastructure for the public private investment model. This enhancement aims to streamline the way advisors access and manage alternative investments alongside traditional public securities. Executives from the investing firms noted that the platform provides a critical foundation for advisors looking to expand their reach and service offerings. This strategic support from major asset managers indicates a significant industry focus on technology that facilitates broader access to private markets. This investment reflects the emerging role of turnkey asset management platforms as the primary gateway for alternative investments moving into the wealth management sector. As the perceived value of standard investment management becomes a commodity, platforms must offer advanced technology and alternative investment access to remain competitive. Modern advisors require specialized expertise and robust tools to select and manage these complex asset sleeves for their clients. By integrating institutional grade alternatives into a scalable platform, the firm is positioning itself at the center of the ongoing evolution of holistic financial advice. Knote: It is not surprising that they are targeting some of the proceeds to build out its infrastructure around alternative assets. We believe TAMPs will be the gatekeepers of alternatives in the wealth management channel. For more on this see https://www.wealthtechstrategy.com/post/tamps-the-tip-of-the-alts2wealth-spear Link to Source