Let’s start the Digital Asset conversation by asking the Founders of MeetAmi Innovations Inc. why they launched this company and what does it mean for wealth management advisors, portfolio managers and family offices in Canada in 2021 and into the future.
What if you could call your wealth management advisor in Canada and ask them to buy Bitcoin as part of your investment portfolio? It was this question that motivated Sarah Morton and Hashim Mitha in 2018 to dive into the world of Blockchain, crypto mining and the entire ecosystem that supports Digital Assets.
Back then, the answer would have been no. Why? The asset existed but the process for easily buying and taking custody of the asset was considered risky and cumbersome.
Sarah and Hashim have explored and gained an understanding about crypto currencies, mining operations, liquidity pools, exchanges, custodial providers, investment challenges and the regulatory landscape from around the world. Their digital asset journey has taken them from Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, south to New York city, San Francisco and Miami and to parts of China and Germany.
What have they discovered? That Blockchain and Digital Assets are the future. They power so many advancements from currencies to automation and are attracting many of the best and brightest minds. We are just beginning to see what’s possible!
One of the first things Hashim and Sarah recognized is how many pieces need to be brought together to offer a complete Digital Asset investment solution.
What stage is the Digital Asset investment market at as we begin 2021?
“We are in the early stages of this fast evolving market,” says Sarah. “We have met many amazing technology companies and vendors who solve a critical piece of the Digital Asset pie. I believe that this is a necessary stage of development in the evolution of Digital Asset investing.”
Sarah continues, “When we saw all these vendors with their remarkable piece of technology, we considered how they would put all these solutions together. It’s at that point that we saw the opportunity in the market to create something new. We wanted to find a way to fully integrate all of these products and services so it would ease adoption of this new asset class.”
“That’s why Hashim and I created MeetAmi Innovations. Our wish is to make AmiPRO your ‘crypto guide’. We’re here to help and guide wealth management advisors through the process of diversifying their clients’ portfolios with Digital Assets. We want to make the process easy.”
Hashim points to key indicators that make understanding Digital Assets essential for advisors in 2021. “Today’s economic uncertainty is driving interest towards alternative investments as a hedge against inflation. Bitcoin’s current epic rise is reflective of this change.”
What is a Digital Asset?
“Look at the growing demand by investors to include this asset class as part of their investment portfolios," says Hashim. “There is a clear signal that it is time for wealth management firms to take the leap into Digital Asset management now. MeetAmi Innovations is creating the investment platform for firms in Canada to successfully grow their financial advisory service offerings.”
“Looking to invest in Digital Assets is a shift and a movement,” says Hashim. “Digital Assets are many things. The underlying Blockchain technology enables the digitization of transaction records on shared, distributed ledgers and tokenizes asset ownership which offers up so much potential.”
What makes the Digital Asset movement important for wealth management advisors?
“It started as a consumer-driven movement,” states Hashim. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen industrial investors jumping into the market. Today, interest remains strong and it is validating this asset class.”
Hashim continues, “We believe that wealth management advisors need to be looking at this industry now and learn how to navigate and leverage Digital Assets to benefit their clients. Their clients could do it themselves, but most would rather go through their advisors. This is where AmiPRO, Canada’s new Digital Asset platform, can help. It empowers wealth management advisors to confidently invest in Digital Assets of all sorts.”
Why create AmiPRO?
“Direct ownership of a Digital Asset is a move to diversifying investment portfolios,” says Hashim. “In addition to the funds, there is an appetite for direct exposure to the asset. You only can truly leverage it when you have ownership.”
Hashim continues, “With AmiPRO, we are creating a place of education, information and transparency that empowers people to comfortably navigate the Digital Asset world no matter their level of understanding. It’s essential that advisors meet their clients' growing demand for Digital Assets – this is our reason for creating AmiPRO.”
“One of our key principles is to de-risk the process for owning Digital Assets,” states Sarah. “With the AmiPRO platform, we take investment firms and advisors from learning to liquidity. This is a purpose-built technology solution for IIROC dealer members, exempt market dealers, private wealth advisors, portfolio managers and family offices who want to directly invest in Digital Assets and hold ownership on behalf of their clients.”
What makes AmiPRO different from other Fintech solutions?
“Our combination of people, process and technology makes us unique. AmiPRO has a team of international experts and utilizes their deep domain knowledge to successfully guide a firm’s migration to Digital Asset investing,” states Hashim. “Our comprehensive AmiPRO ecosystem includes KYC/AML solutions, liquidity providers, education and certification authorities, custody technologies and asset validation technologies.”
“For firms and advisors who are ready to start exploring Digital Asset investing in their practice, AmiPRO’s proprietary DDIM service model Defines, Designs, Implements and Manages what is required to help structure Digital Asset investing in a practice while meeting regulatory, risk management and compliance requirements,” states Hashim.
“The large corporate investments that we’ve seen in recent months in the United States from Square and MicroStrategy, plus the launch of crypto on both PayPal and Wealthsimple, are strong signals that it’s time to join the Digital Asset conversation,” says Sarah. “We are well positioned to help advisors be part of this exciting Digital Asset space.”
“The Blockchain evolution is one of the most exciting advancements of our time!” says Sarah. “Our team is able to leverage all of our experience gained from the early days of the Internet to Web 3.0 and build next generation technology.”
How do wealth management advisors get involved in the Digital Asset conversation?
“We encourage advisors to follow us on LinkedIn and sign up for our newsletter to start your journey in Digital Asset investing,” says Sarah. “If you’re ready to dive in, we can also provide a demo of the AmiPRO software set to launch in second quarter 2021.”
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