Baird simplifies alts platform with new CAIS partnership

The firms are deepening their longtime tech collaboration to create a unified alternative investments solution for Baird's more than 1,300 advisors.

Baird is centralizing its alternative investments management platform by taking one of its longstanding tech partnerships to another level. The firm is deepening its collaboration with CAIS, one of the leading platforms for alternative investments catering to independent financial advisors, to consolidate its alts shelf, processes, and data management.

This strategic decision leverages CAIS’ advanced technological capabilities, making it the one-stop alternatives platform to support Baird’s network of more than 1,300 financial advisors.

Baird, a global entity known for its wealth management, asset management, investment banking, capital markets, and private equity services, oversees more than $430 billion in assets.

“We have a longstanding relationship with CAIS and are thrilled to be expanding our strategic partnership to power our entire alternative investment platform,” Nic Reisenbichler, senior vice president and manager of investment products at Baird, said in a statement.

The enhanced partnership will provide Baird’s fleet of advisors with streamlined access to a broad spectrum of structured investments, as well as serving as a hub for additional alternatives sourced and approved by the firm, through CAIS Solutions.

This technology is designed to simplify the operational complexities typically associated with alternative investments, offering features such as automated processes, comprehensive reporting, and extensive data integration capabilities.

“We remain solely focused on building, refining, and deploying new tools to enable advisors to bring all their alternatives, no matter where they find them, onto one platform,” said Brad Walker, chief client and product development officer at CAIS.

This announcement comes amid growing interest in CAIS’ SaaS technology among financial advisors, according to the wealth tech provider.

Within six months of its launch, CAIS Solutions has reportedly attracted attention from advisors overseeing nearly $1 trillion in assets, highlighting the demand for a single tech stack to manage alternative investments.