RIA Edge Austin Day 2Tuesday, 10 November 2026 - US Central

The technology is advancing quickly, but many wealth management firms are still struggling to move AI agents from concept to production. This panel will examine the real barriers slowing adoption, including fragmented data, compliance concerns, unclear ownership, legacy infrastructure and limited internal expertise. Industry leaders will share what firms need to address now to deploy agents responsibly and at scale.

As AI agents begin working across systems and workflows, firms face a critical question: should they connect new intelligence to the existing stack or replace the platforms holding them back? This session will explore how RIAs can evaluate their current technology, determine where integration is enough and identify where a more fundamental overhaul may be necessary to support an agentic operating model.

AI agents may not be employees, but they still require clear roles, reliable data, defined permissions and ongoing oversight. This panel will explore how firms can effectively “onboard” agentic tools by setting objectives, designing workflows, establishing guardrails and measuring performance. Attendees will learn what it takes to build trust in agents and ensure they complement, rather than complicate, the work of human teams.

Moving from a single use case to enterprise-wide deployment requires more than selecting the right technology. It demands a coordinated strategy across data, governance, security, workflows and change management. This session will examine how RIAs can prioritize agentic use cases, build the necessary operating foundation and scale AI agents across departments without creating new silos, risks or operational complexity.

Roundtable discussions offer a unique forum for engaging conversations and collaborative problem-solving in small groups of your peers. Each roundtable discussion will be carefully curated to address a specific topic or challenge, ensuring that you can choose sessions aligned with your interests and professional goals.

Next-generation professionals value career development, flexibility, purpose-driven work, and technology in ways that challenge traditional RIA talent strategies. This discussion delivers practical insights into these shifting expectations and how to build recruitment and retention approaches that resonate with the advisors, operations professionals, and leaders your firm needs to scale successfully.

Examine the shifting M&A landscape, including emerging trends reshaping deal flow, key factors driving transaction activity, and the variables affecting firm valuations. This session delivers forward-looking analysis on the future of consolidation, providing a strategic view of both opportunities and obstacles on the horizon. Attendees will leave with practical insights to decode today's complex deal environment and position their firms to capitalize on what's ahead.