The world of wealth tech continues to turn this week, with two names announcing new hybrid RIA partnerships while a startup unveils an integrated AI solution to address firms' compliance, cybersecurity, and data challenges.
Orion has entered a strategic agreement with hybrid RIA and broker-dealer Arete Wealth to provide its full-suite technology platform across the firm’s corporate and affiliated RIAs.
The collaboration unveiled on Tuesday will give Arete’s financial professionals access to Orion’s integrated system, which spans portfolio management, reporting, compliance, trading and client engagement tools.
Arete Wealth, headquartered in Chicago with more than 60 offices nationally, said the partnership aligns with its effort to support advisors through outsourced, tech-enabled infrastructure.
“Our new partnership with Orion represents another significant step in our strategy to provide advisors with the most innovative tools available, ensuring they can optimize their practices and better serve their clients,” Joshua Rogers, founder and chief executive of Arete Wealth, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Arete has reported significant expansion in recent years, nearly doubling its advisory assets under management since 2022. The firm said demand is rising for turnkey solutions that help advisors scale efficiently and focus on client service. Orion’s platform is expected to play a central role in supporting that growth with deeper integration – only 55 percent of advisors in Orion's most recent survey report said their technology is integrated – and data-driven engagement.
In a separate move, Tennessee-based Silver Oak Securities has selected Max as its exclusive home office solution for held-away cash management. Max’s platform enables advisors to help clients optimize idle cash while identifying assets that reside outside traditional managed accounts.
Silver Oak, a full-service broker-dealer and RIA, has seen its assets under management grow 31 percent since 2022. The firm is one of the fastest-growing independent broker-dealers in InvestmentNews' rankings last year.
“We’re committed to providing financial professionals with market-leading tools and the support they need to stay ahead of industry change, innovate with confidence, and deliver exceptional service to clients,” said Billy Hopkins, chief executive and president of Silver Oak.
Max is currently used by advisors at more than 3,000 wealth management firms. Known as MaxMyInterest before rebranding in March, the platform has been ranked as the top cash solution for independent advisors for five years running by T3 and Inside Information. The firm’s solution is FDIC-insured and designed to help advisors improve client outcomes while uncovering new AUM opportunities.
“In addition to helping Silver Oak clients earn more on their cash while remaining FDIC insured, financial professionals will also benefit from identifying held-away assets, spurring organic AUM growth,” said Gary Zimmerman, founder and chief executive of Max.
Surge Ventures debuts AI-driven compliance platform
In a separate update, Surge Ventures has launched SurgeONE.ai, an all-in-one platform that combines artificial intelligence, regulatory expertise and secure data infrastructure for RIAs, broker-dealers and other regulated financial firms.
The system integrates tools from its regtech solution RegVerse; Kovair, a data integration platform Surge Ventures acquired last year; and Security Snapshot, offering a centralized approach to cybersecurity and compliance workflows.
“This isn’t a rebrand or another AI wrapper,” said Sid Yenamandra, chief executive of SurgeONE.ai. “It’s a new architecture, built by practitioners who’ve lived compliance and cyber from the inside, that will give firms clarity, agility and control in a time of mounting oversight.”
The platform is aimed at firms navigating fragmented compliance ecosystems, rising audit demands and increasing cyber threats. Surge Ventures describes it as a purpose-built response to the operational and regulatory pressures that continue to shape the advisory technology landscape.
Chicago-based Mesirow Fiduciary Solutions adds flexPATH's plan-level outsourced fiduciary book, boosting its retirement market reach to $164 billion.
Also, Raymond James's employee advisor channel adds breakaways from Wells Fargo and Stifel, while UBS welcomes an ex-Morgan Stanley duo in Indiana.
It promised guaranteed principal and 10% monthly returns. The SEC says it invested nothing.
Ten years after entering the fee-based annuity market, MassMutual Ascend says nearly half its lifetime sales came in the past two years alone – but barriers remain among fee-only advisors.
Amplify, WealthReach, Zeplyn and Zocks have unveiled partnerships aimed at automating portfolio management, content creation, account opening, and client communication.
Northern Trust’s Ken Lassner shows advisors how to convert volatility into after-tax portfolio gains
Dan Biagini of American Equity says the steady decline of pensions, longer lifespans and a reset in interest rates are rewriting how advisors build retirement income
