Our organization was conceived in 2018 by Ric Edelman, one of the nation’s most prominent financial advisors.
In July 2018 Paul Pagnato of Pagnato Karp; Ray Sclafani of ClientWise; Alex Potts, CEO of Loring Ward; and Jamie McIntyre of Rewire Capital joined Ric in Chicago for an initial meeting–and from there the formal organization—then known as the Advisior Blockchain and Crypto Currency Council (ABCC)—was created.
(Actually, the original name was ABCDEFGHI–The Advisor Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Council: Devoted to Developing Economic and Financial Guidance for Holistic Investing. But Ric was getting carried away!)
A second, 2-day event was held two months later in Chicago and attracted more than two dozen experts from the tech, consulting, regulatory, VC and advisory communities, including:
| Mike Alfred | Co-Founder and CEO, Digital Assets Data |
| Eric Clarke | CEO and Founder, Orion Advisor Services |
| Robert Gutman | Co-Founder, Stone Ridge / CEO, NYDIG |
| Aviad Haimi-Cohen | Co-Founder and Partner, Crypto Lotus |
| Matt Higginson | Partner, McKinsey & Company |
| Matt Hougan | Global Head of Research, Bitwise Asset Management |
| Mary Catherine Lader | COO, Blackrock |
| Ben Lawsky | Head of Regulatory Affairs, Stone Ridge |
| Joseph Maugeri | Managing Director, Corporate Relations, CFP Board |
| Karl Muth | CEO, FRST |
| Mike O’Keefe | President and Co-Founder, PKx |
| Tyler Page | Head of Client Strategies, NYDIG |
| Paul Pagnato | Founder and CEO, PagnatoKarp Wealth Management |
| John Rome | CEO and Co-Founder, Intensity Analytics |
| Katrina Scott | CIO, Mariner Wealth Advisors |
| Nathana Sharma | Partner, Crypto Lotus; Faculty, Singularity University |
| Sterling Shea | Global Head of Wealth and Asset Management, Dow Jones |
| Ian Sheridan | Principal & Co-Founder, Vestigo Ventures |
| Jack Tatar | Managing Partner, Doyle Capital Management |
| Jason Van De Loo | SVP, Product & Marketing, Edelman Financial Engines |
| Cathie Wood | CEO / CIO, ARK Invest |
The following March, ABCC partnered with Barron’s to stage a 1½ day event in conjunction with the publication’s Top Independent Advisor Summit in Salt Lake City. More than 155 top advisors and influencers in the digital asset space came together for this successful event.
In August 2019, council members unanimously agreed to change the name to the RIA Digital Assets Council (RIADAC). The new name reflects the industry’s need to be more consumer and investor-friendly.
What began as a small, invitation-only meeting of forward-thinking, influential individuals has become a major organization attracting substantial interest. RIADAC has presented keynote presentations at leading advisor conferences, including Schwab IMPACT, TD Ameritrade LINC, and T3.