Unchained announced today that its registered investment advisory affiliate, Sound Advisory, has merged with Gannett Trust Company to form a new entity: Gannett Wealth Advisors.
The merger marks the first time an SEC-registered investment advisor has combined with a chartered bitcoin trust company, creating what the firms call a “fully integrated wealth management platform” for digital assets, according to a note shared with Bitcoin Magazine.
Gannett Wealth Advisors will operate as a subsidiary of Gannett Trust Company, a public trust company chartered in Wyoming, and will focus on uniting financial planning, custody, and inheritance services under one regulated umbrella.
Back in May, Wyoming officially chartered Gannett Trust Company to help individuals, families, and businesses manage and pass on their bitcoin wealth. The firm wants to prevent bitcoin loss by offering secure, compliant custody and inheritance solutions tailored to long-term holders.
Bitcoin meets the fiduciary standard
At its core, this merger represents a bridge between Bitcoin-native finance and the highly regulated world of traditional wealth management.
Unchained has provided bitcoin custody and lending services before through its collaborative custody model, the integration of an SEC-registered advisor brings fiduciary oversight and comprehensive planning capabilities to the table.
“For Unchained, working with Gannett Trust and Gannett Wealth Advisors is the next step towards proving how bitcoin-native wealth management can meet the same standards as traditional finance, while staying true to the asset’s unique nature,” said Joe Kelly, CEO and co-founder of Unchained.
The new platform will solve one of Bitcoin’s enduring challenges: inheritance and estate planning.
Traditional wealth firms are typically not equipped to handle private keys or custody models that ensure assets can be securely passed down. Gannett says it will offer solutions that combine regulated trust structures with Bitcoin’s self-sovereign principles.
“Bringing both advisory and trust services together gives individuals, families, and business owners something they’ve never had: a fully integrated way to plan, manage, and secure their legacies under a fiduciary standard,” said Joshua Preston, CEO of Gannett Trust.
Global wealth is about to change hands
The launch of Gannett Wealth Advisors arrives at a pivotal time.
Over the next decade, an estimated $80 trillion in global wealth is expected to change hands, and according to research cited by Unchained, nearly 4 million bitcoin may already be lost forever — much of it due to inadequate planning and lack of digital-asset-specific estate structures.
At the same time, U.S. policy has begun catching up to investor demand. In August, the federal government issued an executive order expanding 401(k) options to include alternative assets like cryptocurrency, real estate, and private equity.
Wyoming, where Gannett Trust is chartered, has become the nation’s leading hub for digital-asset trust companies, thanks to forward-thinking legislation that recognizes bitcoin custody and fiduciary responsibilities under state law. This legal framework gives Gannett a foundation that many competitors in other jurisdictions still lack.
The newly combined firm will officially debut at Digital Wealth Frontiers, a summit hosted by Gannett Trust on October 15 at Bitcoin Park in Nashville and via livestream.
The event will bring together family offices, advisors, and business leaders to discuss strategies for managing generational wealth with Bitcoin as a key component of diversified portfolios.
As Bitcoin becomes a more accepted part of mainstream finance, firms like Gannett Wealth Advisors want to serve clients who expect both security and compliance — without compromising on Bitcoin’s fundamental principles.
Source: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/first-bitcoin-wealth-platform-comes-from-merger
