CAIS and Schwab Expand Partnership to Streamline RIA Access to Private Funds

Alternative investment platform CAIS and Schwab Advisor Services have expanded their technology integration to streamline how registered investment advisers access and manage private funds and other alternative investments.

The collaboration reinforces CAIS as a central access point for alternatives through direct integration with Schwab’s custodial systems. The partnership addresses operational complexities that often hinder adviser adoption and aims to simplify workflows and improve scalability.

The core of the expanded partnership is the ability for advisers to manage both subscription-based private funds and ticker-traded alternative investment products through the CAIS platform.

Key benefits of the integration include:

• Streamlined onboarding: Advisers can import client account profiles directly into the CAIS platform, eliminating manual entry and duplicative steps;
• Unified transaction flow: Enables execution of all types of alternative investment transactions – both private and publicly traded – from a single destination; and
• Enhanced oversight: Centralizes oversight of complex asset classes and supports better regulatory alignment.

“Our expanded partnership with Schwab streamlines processes and modernizes workflows, making it easier than ever for advisors to adopt alternatives,” said Brendan Cuddihy, chief operating officer of CAIS. “Unlike public securities, alternative investments come with unique complexities that demand robust oversight. Managing them outside an integrated solution can limit efficiency and scalability. Through the CAIS–Schwab collaboration, advisors can streamline transacting in the full spectrum of alternatives on the CAIS platform.”

According to Schwab, the partnership addresses a long-standing challenge for RIAs: reducing the operational burden often associated with alternatives.

“We’re excited to deepen our work with CAIS to help advisers simplify their operations and manage alternative investments more efficiently,” said Alison Dooher, head of digital adviser solutions for Schwab Advisor Services. “Together, we’re making it easier for advisers to access alternatives within their existing workflows, with greater transparency and reduced operational complexity.”

The partnership builds on CAIS’s broader effort to modernize access and transparency in the alternatives space. In August 2025, AltsWire reported that CAIS had launched the Solactive CAIS Private Credit BDC Index, or CAISCRED. Available through CAIS’ registered investment adviser CAIS Advisors LLC, in partnership with global index provider Solactive, CAISCRED is a first-of-its-kind index designed to provide a transparent, rules-based benchmark for private credit exposure via perpetual non-traded business development companies.

The launch of CAISCRED marks the beginning of a broader index series aimed at standardizing benchmarks for private market allocations. Advisers can use CAISCRED to gauge private credit BDC performance, as well as for ongoing monitoring of private credit exposure through BDCs.

Founded in 2009, CAIS serves more than 62,000 independent financial advisers who oversee approximately $7 trillion in client assets. The company provides access to hedge funds, private equity, private debt, real estate, digital assets, and structured notes through its platform, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Austin, and London.

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