Ophelia Snyder

Digital assets are moving rapidly from the fringes of speculation into the mainstream of wealth management, reshaping portfolios, operating models and client expectations. As institutional adoption accelerates and tokenization, regulated products, and new custody models emerge, executive leaders in wealth management face critical decisions about how digital assets—from ETFs and tokenized funds to blockchain-enabled infrastructure—fit into portfolio construction to enhance client engagement.

The generational wealth transfer currently underway and the greater expectations of digitally savvy Millennials and Gen Z investors are further accelerating the strategic opportunity with digital assets, but TradFi executives need to be clear in what they aim to achieve with them as part of wealth portfolio construction.

Panelists will explore the evolving role of digital assets in wealth management, from client demand and portfolio construction to governance, risk management, and infrastructure readiness. Discussion points will include:

• First, why digital assets now: Client demand, institutional legitimacy and competitive pressure.
• Digital assets as an asset class vs. enabling infrastructure.
• Impact of generational wealth transfer and digital-native investors.
• Consequences of inaction over the next 3–5 years.
• Differing needs of UHNW, HNW, mass affluent, and private banking clients.
• Risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment sophistication.
• Education requirements to support informed consent.
• Managing expectations around volatility and drawdowns.
• Defining the purpose: diversification, growth, inflation hedge, innovation exposure.
• Core vs. satellite allocations.
• Correlation behavior across market cycles.
• Position sizing and rebalancing discipline.