North America Wealth Management
Top five trends for 2026
The industry narrative will move beyond digital transformation to ‘holistic integration’. The provision of a singular, seamless experience for the client will be delivered by a more cohesive technology framework, including artificial intelligence and institutional-grade infrastructures, which replace disparate technology platforms and applications.
Firms have the opportunity to enhance client engagement while simultaneously reducing operating costs by streamlining fragmented processes that currently add friction to the client-advisor relationship. Alternative investments, including private equity and hedge funds, will grow in significance as barriers to entry fall, while digital and crypto assets acquire guardrails that increase their appeal to a wider wealth audience.
Below, we spotlight five trends that will shape the Wealth Management agenda for North American firms in 2026.
For the North American Wealth Management sector, the era of fragmented tools and siloed advice is ending. The past year has seen a fundamental shift in how information is delivered, how platforms are architected, and what assets define a modern portfolio. These trends will continue to evolve through 2026.
our team
First Last, Title
First Last, Title
First Last, Title
First Last, Title
First Last, Title
The distinction between in-person, virtual and mobile advice will become seamless. We have seen the advisor-client relationship evolve from traditional face-to-face interactions to web-based tools during the dotcom boom before pivoting to virtual meetings during the Covid pandemic.
However, current approaches still often require clients to toggle between channels, coordinate meetings and share information through various tools, and review and confirm investment decisions across multiple applications and interfaces.
We predict the rise of the advice room, a collaborative workspace where the client, advisor and third-party experts, including accountants and attorneys, can convene and collaborate effortlessly, virtually and in-person. Instead of disjointed emails or static documents, firms will switch to unified tooling for financial planning, onboarding and servicing that works identically whether the participants are sitting in a conference room or logging in from a mobile device.
In this scenario, technology supports multi-party collaboration, moving the industry beyond the traditional one-to-one advisor model toward a collective wealth management team approach. Advisors who facilitate this holistic collaboration across tools and experts will achieve a competitive advantage over those who still operate in a silo.
Customer experiences become channel-less
Advisors who facilitate this holistic collaboration across tools and experts will achieve a competitive advantage over those who still operate in a silo.
1
Agentic AI runs the workflow
AI will become as fundamental to the advisor's daily routine as Google searches are today.
2
In 2026, artificial intelligence is no longer a tool for isolated tasks including prospecting or next-best-action prompts. Instead, it becomes an active partner that helps to run the entire wealth lifecycle. Rather than solving isolated pain points, agentic AI will assist advisors in managing activities across the value chain: planning meetings, scanning client documents to identify life events, and capturing decisions in real-time.
AI will become as fundamental to the advisor's daily routine as Google searches are today. This is a world where AI agents will prove themselves capable of building, implementing and maintaining portfolios. While this introduces new complexities regarding data privacy and other guardrails, it paradoxically offers superior compliance outcomes:
Auditability
unlike a face-to-face conversation, AI-driven outputs are fully evidence-based and trackable
Regulatory response
the ability to evidence every decision enables a more robust regulatory response
Mitigation of bias
human biases shaped by past experiences, emotional reactions or familiarity can be identified, explored and addressed
The era of firms maintaining an ecosystem of hundreds of disparate proprietary applications is ending. We predict a wave of platform modernization driven by consolidation and outsourcing.
Firms that have acquired and integrated point solutions over years of mergers and acquisitions are now looking externally to rationalize their stacks. In 2026, success will be defined not by who owns the technology, but by who leverages it best to serve the client. Successful strategies will include single, cloud-based platforms that allow data to be shared and reused efficiently.
We are already seeing both regional and national wealth management businesses outsource their entire middle- and back-office operations to third-party providers. By partnering with firms that specialize in infrastructure and regulatory compliance, wealth managers can focus resources on core competencies that drive differentiation: brand building, recruitment and client service.
Platform modernization via consolidation and outsourcing
The era of firms maintaining an ecosystem of hundreds of disparate proprietary applications is ending.
3
Investor demand for access to private markets, income strategies and differentiated return profiles continues to accelerate.
4
Investor demand for access to private markets, income strategies and differentiated return profiles continues to accelerate. During 2026, alternative investments, such as private equity and hedge funds, will become further democratized from the exclusive domain of the ultra-high-net-worth to the high-net-worth and mass affluent segments.
However, the ‘Wild West’ nature of private market data presents a significant hurdle. Unlike the standardized world of public equities where reporting is instantaneous, private market transparency remains slow and fragmented:
Data consolidation
firms must deploy tools that can reconcile diverse reporting formats from various private equity managers
Liquidity solution
technology will be required to support new strategies that create liquidity in assets that are typically held for months or years
Reporting speed
clients conditioned
by daily NAVs will demand faster turnaround times for reporting on their alternative holdings
Collectively, these trends point toward the emergence of more unified and efficient wealth management offerings, providing greater access to services across a wider client audience. A relentless focus on integration will smooth away the friction that restrains multiple channels, asset classes and technologies.
From the advice room that brings professionals together to AI agents that run the background workflow, advisors will be better placed to deliver superior services and outcomes for their clients. In addition, the transition of digital assets to institutional-grade infrastructure and the democratization of alternative investments signals a wealth management market that is maturing and expanding its horizons.
As always, success depends on execution. Firms must be willing to let go of existing legacy systems, embrace outsourcing where it makes sense, and trust in the power of data to drive decision-making. There are hurdles to overcome, but North American wealth leaders should embrace this opportunity with open arms.
Get ready for the future of Wealth Management
© Capco 2026, A Wipro Company
A relentless focus on integration will smooth away the friction that restrains multiple channels, asset classes and technologies.
Perhaps the most significant development in 2026 will concern digital assets, as we move beyond the phase in which crypto is a speculative novelty for individual investors using personal wallets. As digital assets become a standard component of diversified client portfolios, they are transitioning to institutional-grade infrastructure. Major wealth management firms and custodians are building the infrastructure to custody, transfer and manage digital assets in-house.
This shift is largely driven by client demand. Investors want to manage their Bitcoin or Ethereum holdings alongside traditional assets, safeguarded by a trusted advisor rather than by a standalone application. We predict that digital assets will be fully integrated into the wealth management ecosystem supported by rigorous custody and compliance standards similar to traditional securities.
Digital assets transition from novelty to infrastructure
Major wealth management firms and custodians are building the infrastructure to custody, transfer and manage digital assets in-house.
5
Phil Kerkel | Partner | phillip.kerkel@capco.com
Energy
Wealth Management
Cybersecurity
Banking & Payments
Insurance
Capital
Markets
Expanding access to alternative assets
Coming Soon: Explore more trends across our domains
Originally published in AltEnergyMag.com
Trend
1
Trend
2
Trend
3
Trend
4
Trend
5
Coming Soon: Explore more trends across our domains
Capital
Markets
Insurance
Banking & Payments
Cybersecurity
Wealth Management
Energy
The distinction between in-person, virtual and mobile advice will become seamless. We have seen the advisor-client relationship evolve from traditional face-to-face interactions to web-based tools during the dotcom boom before pivoting to virtual meetings during the Covid pandemic.
However, current approaches still often require clients to toggle between channels, coordinate meetings and share information through various tools, and review and confirm investment decisions across multiple applications and interfaces.
We predict the rise of the advice room, a collaborative workspace where the client, advisor and third-party experts, including accountants and attorneys, can convene and collaborate effortlessly, virtually and in-person. Instead of disjointed emails or static documents, firms will switch to unified tooling for financial planning, onboarding and servicing that works identically whether the participants are sitting in a conference room or logging in from a mobile device.
In this scenario, technology supports multi-party collaboration, moving the industry beyond the traditional one-to-one advisor model toward a collective wealth management team approach. Advisors who facilitate this holistic collaboration across tools and experts will achieve a competitive advantage over those who still operate in a silo.
Customer experiences become channel-less
Advisors who facilitate this holistic collaboration across tools and experts will achieve a competitive advantage over those who still operate in a silo.
1
In 2026, artificial intelligence is no longer a tool for isolated tasks including prospecting or next-best-action prompts. Instead, it becomes an active partner that helps to run the entire wealth lifecycle. Rather than solving isolated pain points, agentic AI will assist advisors in managing activities across the value chain: planning meetings, scanning client documents to identify life events, and capturing decisions in real-time.
AI will become as fundamental to the advisor's daily routine as Google searches are today. This is a world where AI agents will prove themselves capable of building, implementing and maintaining portfolios. While this introduces new complexities regarding data privacy and other guardrails, it paradoxically offers superior compliance outcomes:
Agentic AI runs the workflow
AI will become as fundamental to the advisor's daily routine as Google searches are today.
Auditability
unlike a face-to-face conversation, AI-driven outputs are fully evidence-based and trackable
Regulatory response
the ability to evidence every decision enables a more robust regulatory response
Mitigation of bias
human biases shaped by past experiences, emotional reactions or familiarity can be identified, explored and addressed
2
The era of firms maintaining an ecosystem of hundreds of disparate proprietary applications is ending. We predict a wave of platform modernization driven by consolidation and outsourcing.
Firms that have acquired and integrated point solutions over years of mergers and acquisitions are now looking externally to rationalize their stacks. In 2026, success will be defined not by who owns the technology, but by who leverages it best to serve the client. Successful strategies will include single, cloud-based platforms that allow data to be shared and reused efficiently.
We are already seeing both regional and national wealth management businesses outsource their entire middle- and back-office operations to third-party providers. By partnering with firms that specialize in infrastructure and regulatory compliance, wealth managers can focus resources on core competencies that drive differentiation: brand building, recruitment and client service.
Platform modernization via consolidation and outsourcing
The era of firms maintaining an ecosystem of hundreds of disparate proprietary applications is ending.
3
Expanding access to alternative assets
Investor demand for access to private markets, income strategies and differentiated return profiles continues to accelerate. During 2026, alternative investments, such as private equity and hedge funds, will become further democratized from the exclusive domain of the ultra-high-net-worth to the high-net-worth and mass affluent segments.
However, the ‘Wild West’ nature of private market data presents a significant hurdle. Unlike the standardized world of public equities where reporting is instantaneous, private market transparency remains slow and fragmented:
Investor demand for access to private markets, income strategies and differentiated return profiles continues to accelerate.
Data consolidation
firms must deploy tools that can reconcile diverse reporting formats from various private equity managers
Liquidity solution
technology will be required to support new strategies that create liquidity in assets that are typically held for months or years
Reporting speed
clients conditioned
by daily NAVs will demand faster turnaround times for reporting on their alternative holdings
4
Perhaps the most significant development in 2026 will concern digital assets, as we move beyond the phase in which crypto is a speculative novelty for individual investors using personal wallets. As digital assets become a standard component of diversified client portfolios, they are transitioning to institutional-grade infrastructure. Major wealth management firms and custodians are building the infrastructure to custody, transfer and manage digital assets in-house.
This shift is largely driven by client demand. Investors want to manage their Bitcoin or Ethereum holdings alongside traditional assets, safeguarded by a trusted advisor rather than by a standalone application. We predict that digital assets will be fully integrated into the wealth management ecosystem supported by rigorous custody and compliance standards similar to traditional securities.
Digital assets transition from novelty to infrastructure
Major wealth management firms and custodians are building the infrastructure to custody, transfer and manage digital assets in-house.
5
Contact us
Download the article
