Wealthbox announced a new integration with Envestnet, infusing powerful investment management capabilities directly into advisors’ Wealthbox CRM platform. With this integration, advisors can seamlessly access Envestnet account and position information, navigate between platforms using single sign-on, and initiate investment proposals—all within Wealthbox. The seamless connection between these two essential tools enables advisors to work more efficiently by reducing manual processes and giving them more time to serve clients. Advisors can now view their clients’ Envestnet account and position details directly in Wealthbox via a dedicated Investments tab. This ensures that key financial data is easily accessible alongside client records, eliminating the need to switch between systems. With single sign-on functionality, advisors can seamlessly transition from Wealthbox to Envestnet without losing data-driven client context. A simple click from within Wealthbox takes users directly to the corresponding client page in Envestnet, providing instant access to additional investment details. In addition to viewing account information, advisors can also initiate investment proposals directly from Wealthbox. Advisors can begin a proposal in Wealthbox and continue in Envestnet, whether they’re working with an existing client or adding a new prospect. If the client does not yet exist in Envestnet, Wealthbox will automatically create the household and link it to the proposal, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow. Once initiated, proposals are seamlessly transferred to Envestnet, where advisors can continue the process without interruption.
Tastytrade announces stablecoin funding for brokerage accounts , allowing investors to deposit USDC, USDT, PYUSD, and RLUSD anytime
Tastytrade has introduced instant stablecoin funding for its brokerage accounts, allowing investors to deposit USDC, USDT, PYUSD, and RLUSD anytime. The brokerage said the stablecoin option will help reduce friction in moving funds across borders, particularly for traders outside the United States. Under the new setup, stablecoins are reportedly automatically converted to U.S. dollars and swept into customer accounts using Zerohash’s infrastructure. This eliminates the need for Tastytrade to manage crypto custody or interact with blockchain systems directly. The company said the offering is available globally and will operate 24/7, removing bottlenecks caused by currency conversion, banking hours, and multi-day settlement cycles. The new feature is powered by blockchain infrastructure provider Zerohash. “The upside of stablecoin account funding is massive: speed, simplicity, and global reach,” commented Pete Mulmat, CEO of IG North America, the parent company of tastytrade. “We can now move money across jurisdictions in seconds, cut out costly intermediaries, and offer a frictionless experience for our customers around the world.” Mulmat added that stablecoins could help meet the needs of a market increasingly oriented toward continuous global trading. “In a market that’s moving towards 24/7 global trading, account funding shouldn’t be a barrier to getting started with trading,” he said.
Goldman Sachs Private Credit Fund to offer managed accounts access to private credit investments including direct lending and private placements through a vehicle structured specifically for long-term retirement portfolios
Goldman Sachs Asset Management announced plans for a private credit collective investment trust for defined contribution plans. The fund, the Goldman Sachs Collective Trust – Private Credit Fund, is designed to deliver access to private credit investments through a vehicle structured specifically for long-term retirement portfolios. It will be available for use in managed accounts such as target-date funds. The GS Private Credit CIT will be included in Great Gray Trust Co.’s Panorix Target Date Series, a retirement solution that integrates institutional-grade public and private market exposure. The new target-date series, developed by Great Gray in collaboration with BlackRock, Wilshire Advisors and Goldman Sachs, aims to bring sophisticated investment strategies to everyday retirement savers. “This solution is designed to meet the practical needs of retirement plans,” said Greg Wilson, Goldman Sachs Asset Management’s global head of retirement. The GS Private Credit CIT will invest across a broad spectrum of private credit strategies—including North American and European direct lending and private placements—while maintaining a liquidity sleeve to ac. It will be available in managed portfolios, including target-date funds, multi-manager bond funds and CIT-based managed accounts. “The addition of private credit completes the vision behind Panorix, a purpose-built retirement solution that brings together institutional-quality public and private markets in one seamless structure,” said Rob Barnett, Great Gray’s CEO “By collaborating with Goldman Sachs, BlackRock and Wilshire, we’re unlocking broader access to sophisticated strategies that were once out of reach for everyday savers—all while staying anchored to fiduciary standards and participant-first design.”
Sofi debuts ETF to target companies developing, providing, or utilizing agentic AI technologies such as NVIDIA, Salesforce
SoFi is announcing the availability of a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) with the SoFi Agentic AI ETF. AGIQ will invest in U.S. companies included in the BITA US Agentic AI Select Index, which is designed to track businesses involved in developing, providing, or utilizing agentic AI technologies. The index currently includes companies such as Salesforce, Tesla, and NVIDIA, though holdings are subject to change. The SoFi Agentic AI ETF tracks the performance of the BITA US Agentic AI Select Index, which is composed of publicly traded U.S. exchange-listed companies involved in areas such as self-driving transportation, AI scheduling assistants, cybersecurity networks, autonomous industrial machinery, and enabling technologies like semiconductors and cloud computing. The Index currently includes 30 holdings. Tidal Investments LLC, a Tidal Financial Group company, will be the Investment Adviser to AGIQ, with a gross expense ratio of 0.69% and a management fee of 0.69%. AGIQ is listed on NYSE Arca and can be purchased through SoFi Invest and other brokerage platforms. In addition to AGIQ, SoFi Invest currently sponsors other ETFs advised by Tidal Investments LLC: SoFi Select 500 (SFY) – composed of the 500 largest publicly traded U.S. companies, weighted using a proprietary growth factor. SoFi Next 500 ETF (SFYX) – composed of 500 mid-cap U.S. companies with extra growth potential. SoFi Social 50 ETF (SFYF) – invests in the top 50 widely held stocks on SoFi Invest. SoFi Enhanced Yield ETF (THTA) – combines U.S. Treasuries with an overlay of credit spreads with a monthly distribution schedule
Grayscale launches first US multi-asset crypto ETP on NYSE Arca: providing 90% market exposure through Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Solana and Cardano
Grayscale Investments®, the world’s largest digital asset-focused investment platform, announced that Grayscale CoinDesk Crypto 5 ETF (Ticker: GDLC), formerly known as Grayscale Digital Large Cap Fund, has begun trading on NYSE Arca as a multi-asset ETP, the first of such products available in the U.S. GDLC, an exchange traded product, is not registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (or the ’40 Act) and therefore is not subject to the same regulations and protections as ’40 Act-registered ETFs and mutual funds. An investment in GDLC involves significant risk, including possible loss of principal. The Fund holds digital assets; however, an investment in the Fund is not a direct investment in digital assets. GDLC is the first multi-asset crypto ETP, offering exposure to the five largest and most liquid crypto assets² – Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, Solana, and Cardano. It provides investors with broad access to the digital asset market while maintaining a strategic focus on five of the most established assets by market capitalization and liquidity. The fund rebalances quarterly to maintain alignment with the leading assets in the crypto market and tracks the CoinDesk 5 Index, developed by CoinDesk Indices, a leading crypto index provider. As of today, GDLC delivers exposure to over 90%³ of the market capitalization of the asset class, which positions it as a compelling option for investors seeking broad participation in the digital asset ecosystem.
Advisor CRM launches AI email assistant for financial advisors that organizes email messages, helps automate required follow-up tasks, and drafts personalized replies to clients
Advisor CRM, an all-in-one CRM platform designed exclusively for registered investment advisors (RIAs), unveiled a fully integrated AI Email Assistant. The new suite of tools organizes email messages, helps automate required follow-up tasks, and drafts personalized replies to clients. Advisor CRM’s AI Email Assistant automatically scans advisors’ incoming emails and categorizes them into actionable groups, including client requests, documents required, meeting follow-up, or informational. The AI Email assistant also helps advisors prioritize tasks, identifying which emails need immediate attention and which can be deferred. Other key features include personalized email drafting in the advisor’s voice, smart attachment processing, and automatic updates, while preserving authentic client communication. Advisors using AI Email Assistant are saving hours each week on administrative tasks, instead investing the time back into their clients. Charles Heuring, CEO, IAMS Wealth said “The new AI Email Assistant offers a team and personal view of emails, streamlining tasks for everyone in the firm. This functionality ensures that all team members are informed, automating and organizing their tasks in a clear and accessible way.” Because the AI Email Assistant is embedded in Advisor CRM, emails are drafted in the advisor’s voice by analyzing their communication and writing style. Beyond drafting emails, the AI Email Assistant converts requests included in emails directly into tasks. For example, if a client sends an email about rolling over a 401(k), the AI Email Assistant will automatically generate a task to prepare the rollover paperwork.
Target rolls out accessible self-checkout featuring Braille and high-contrast button icons; a headphone jack with adjustable volume controls; physical navigation buttons and a dedicated info key, a custom tactile controller for disabled customers
Target Corp. is deploying what it calls a first-of-its-kind self-checkout solution designed for shoppers who are blind or low-vision and/or have motor disabilities. Rolling out to self-checkout stations nationwide beginning during the 2025 holiday season and continuing through early 2026, Target says the solution is part of ongoing checkout improvements. Responding to the needs of a blind user experience accessibility manager and his daughter who also has low-vision, Target developed the solution in collaboration with the manager as well as the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). The solution integrates seamlessly with Target’s existing self-checkout system and is designed to be intuitive to use independently. Features include: Braille and high-contrast button icons; A headphone jack with adjustable volume controls; Physical navigation buttons and a dedicated info key; A custom tactile controller co-developed by Target and touchscreen technology partner Elo. Customers hear every screen and payment prompt through one seamless audio stream. Target is also working with suppliers to help other retailers adopt the technology.
Swiss Bank Sygnum unveils Bitcoin Yield Fund as BTC DeFi demand grows
Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum has launched a new investment vehicle designed to generate yield on Bitcoin without reducing investors’ exposure to its price movements. The BTC Alpha Fund, developed in partnership with Athens-based Starboard Digital, uses arbitrage strategies to target net annual returns of 8%-10%, which are paid directly in Bitcoin. The fund is domiciled in the Cayman Islands and caters to professional and institutional investors. By converting arbitrage gains into bitcoin, participants can increase the number of coins they hold while still benefiting from bitcoin’s long-term price appreciation. Sygnum said the product has already drawn strong interest from clients looking for institutional-grade yield options in digital assets. For investors, one practical feature is that shares in the new fund can be pledged as collateral for U.S. dollar Lombard loans at Sygnum. This setup allows long-term bitcoin holders to unlock liquidity for other investments without selling down their crypto exposure. Monthly liquidity and a strict risk management framework are intended to give the fund flexibility while addressing volatility in digital markets. The partnership also leverages Starboard Digital’s background in trading and risk management.
Swiss Bank Sygnum unveils Bitcoin Yield Fund as BTC DeFi demand grows
Swiss digital asset bank Sygnum has launched a new investment vehicle designed to generate yield on Bitcoin without reducing investors’ exposure to its price movements. The BTC Alpha Fund, developed in partnership with Athens-based Starboard Digital, uses arbitrage strategies to target net annual returns of 8%-10%, which are paid directly in Bitcoin. The fund is domiciled in the Cayman Islands and caters to professional and institutional investors. By converting arbitrage gains into bitcoin, participants can increase the number of coins they hold while still benefiting from bitcoin’s long-term price appreciation. Sygnum said the product has already drawn strong interest from clients looking for institutional-grade yield options in digital assets. For investors, one practical feature is that shares in the new fund can be pledged as collateral for U.S. dollar Lombard loans at Sygnum. This setup allows long-term bitcoin holders to unlock liquidity for other investments without selling down their crypto exposure. Monthly liquidity and a strict risk management framework are intended to give the fund flexibility while addressing volatility in digital markets. The partnership also leverages Starboard Digital’s background in trading and risk management.
Financial Planning survey of 250 advisors finds 44% of firms prioritize AI education outpacing tech stack modernization, with Merrill and LPL representing one-in-five active advisors leading multi-format training initiatives emphasizing the peer-learning methodology relevant for wealth firms
Wealth management firms say artificial intelligence could eventually improve nearly every part of their businesses. But when advisors were asked what their firms are doing to get AI ready, the top answer was simple: teaching employees about AI, according to Financial Planning’s latest AI readiness survey. The survey, which asked 250 advisors across the industry about AI readiness at their firms, found that nearly half (44%) are working to educate employees about AI, outpacing efforts to modernize their tech stacks or create AI use policies. Top firms are taking the lead on AI education. At LPL Financial and Merrill — together accounting for nearly 1 in 5 active advisors — leadership is rolling out a variety of platforms to help advisors understand how AI can be applied in their day-to-day work and explore its potential. “Our goal is to get you up to speed as fast as possible on two things,” said Inez Louzonis, head of platforms and capabilities at Merrill. “One, the tools we have now, you need to start using them and becoming proficient in them, and getting your data in them, so that as we are building artificial intelligence on top of these tools, they really benefit you,” Louzonis said. “And then the second part is just unlocking their mind to think about all the potentials. We even say to them, ‘We can’t come up with all of the different use cases and ideas on our own in a box. We need you to start thinking about it.'” Currently, AI is often being used within wealth firms to streamline routine tasks and cut down on administrative work. For example, LPL has partnered with Jump, an AI assistant designed for financial advisors offering notetaking and other tools to help advisors save time around client meetings. Stephen Chien, vice president of AI business strategy at LPL, said that these tools not only save advisors 30 to 60 minutes per a meeting, but they also free up advisors to more deeply listen to clients during meetings. “If they don’t have to scribble notes in the middle of a meeting, they can actually pay attention better in the client meeting and deliver a more personalized experience,” Chien said. “So it’s not just saving time, but delivering a better end-client experience and helping them to grow their business faster.” With a variety of more and less tech-savvy advisors at LPL, Chien said the company takes a wide-ranging approach when it comes to educating its advisors on the AI tools available to them. The basis of that education comes in the form of online modules, which explain the technology, its current uses and best practices around skills like prompt engineering.