How Nadine Mezher Built Trust in Fintech

How do you convince people to trust a startup with their life savings?In this episode of the SEF Backstage Pass Podcast, Nader Aboulhosn sits down with Nadine Mezher, Co-Founder & CEO of Nawa and Co-Founder of Sarwa, to explore what it really takes to build trust, launch a fintech startup, and create brands people genuinely connect with.Nadine shares the lessons behind Sarwa's growth, why education became its biggest marketing advantage, and how she approached branding differently in an industry built on complexity. She also discusses her transition into building Nawa, balancing creativity with business, hiring exceptional teams, leadership, resilience, and why entrepreneurs must continuously learn what they don't know.Whether you're building a startup, growing a brand, or interested in entrepreneurship, marketing, fintech, and leadership, this conversation is packed with practical insights.Chapters00:00 Introduction00:44 Welcome to the podcast01:25 From finance to fashion school03:39 Why Sarwa looked different from every fintech brand05:03 Making investing simple for everyone06:57 How Sarwa earned customer trust from day one09:10 Fintech, trust, and surviving difficult markets11:02 Lessons from COVID and entrepreneurship12:04 Motherhood, resilience & leadership15:00 Being a woman in finance16:45 Building Nawa after Sarwa19:05 Fashion, manufacturing & building resilient economies22:26 Learning what you don't know as a founder23:29 Hiring great people & building strong teams29:57 Leadership, delegation & scaling a business31:00 Final thoughtsSubscribe for more conversations with founders, innovators and changemakers from the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival.