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Cryptocurrencies, in particular Bitcoin, have come under recent criticism for being environmentally unfriendly, specifically for the energy it takes to mine and transact with digital assets. Most recently, Tesla founder Elon Musk triggered a wave of volatility in Bitcoin after he opined that the digital currency was not energy efficient.

The wealthtech space has been abuzz with M&A activity and new hires over the past week.

Financial Independence Group, LLC (FIG), a leading financial services conglomerate, and Carson Group, one of the fastest-growing wealth advisory firms and financial planning ecosystems in the United States, have entered a strategic partnership to power Carson Group's insurance solutions.

Four of the top 5 deals this week come out of foreign markets - Mexico, Sweden, France and Germany. We also have two deals in the blockchain sector - Solana Labs and Ledger. Big numbers again, this week, too. The smallest deal in the Top 5 came in at $180M with the "winner" - Swedish payments firm Klarna - topping out at $639M USD.

A bevy of deal activity kept the fintech space in the spotlight once again. The pipeline of startups set to hit the public markets after Marqeta made a splash on the Nasdaq last week is building, and SPACs are still hot to trot. Payments platform Stripe has launched its own AI-fueled identity product, while the buy now, pay later trend continues to gain momentum.

Regtech companies with proven products and seasoned leadership teams are well-positioned for further growth, if the latest deal between K1 Investment Management and ComplySci is indicative of what’s ahead in the fintech space.

Technology’s role is supplemental to that of the advisor. It can’t replace the expertise and personal nature of the relationship, but it can add much-needed efficiencies that keep an advisor on-task and better able to focus their time on a client’s needs. Nowhere is that more necessary than the race to attract and retain the attention of high net worth clients.

BITCOIN is about to become legal tender for a sovereign country. Or, as one guy said on the moon, "One small step for Bitcoin, one giant leap for digital currency." Something like that anyway.

Advisors today face huge deficits in knowledge, services and products in the cryptocurrency space when compared to retail financial services firms. John Sarson has recognized this when he founded Sarson Funds and now has a full team working to fill the gap.

The advisor-Tech segment has been bustling with deals, including new partnerships, mergers and more for the week of 6/9/21.