57. Why Trust Is the Foundation of Financial Services with Amanda Estiverne-Colas

Financial institutions are great at planning for the predictable, but what happens when life doesn't follow the plan? A divorce, a medical crisis, a leaky roof. These are the moments that reveal whether the financial system was really built for the people inside it.In this episode, I sit down with Amanda Estiverne-Colas, Director and Head of Payments Practice at Proficient, founder of AGE Advisors, and one of fintech's most passionate advocates for fairness by design. Amanda has spent over 20 years working behind the scenes on the infrastructure, the plumbing, to expand access and build a financial system that actually listens to consumers.We explore why planning for the unplanned is the industry's biggest blind spot, how the Fair Digital Finance Framework is challenging institutions to embed transparency and inclusivity into their products, and why trust isn't just a nice to have. It's the foundation everything else is built on. Amanda also shares why empathy isn't soft, it's structural, and how community banks and credit unions are quietly modeling what the rest of the industry needs to learn. Plus, she pulls back the curtain on The Front Row, her Substack series bringing the conversations that happen outside the conference room to everyone who couldn't be there.If you're building financial relationships with clients, with communities, or with technology, this conversation will challenge you to ask, who are we building it for?Connect with us! Marla Sofer on LinkedInKnomeeAmanda Estiverne-Colas on LinkedIn