For companies moving money across borders, trust is essential as handling people’s money is one of the highest-stakes responsibilities a company can take on.
Mathieu Limousi, chief marketing officer at Thunes, leads the team responsible for building that confidence. From shaping communication strategies to overseeing the smallest design details, he ensures that every aspect of the brand reinforces credibility and strengthens the company’s relationship with its customers.
Positioned as the “smart super highway” for moving money around the world, Thunes enables financial institutions – from banks and neobanks to insurance and gig economy companies – to send money overseas and disperse funds in 80 currencies.
The platform allows users to send funds to a range of endpoints, including bank accounts, mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank cards.
When it comes to moving money globally, Limousi stresses that trust is fundamental. When people’s money is involved, he says, they need confidence in the institutions handling it.
In leading the marketing function, he explains that the team’s remit is fourfold, with trust underpinning each element. The first priority is raising brand awareness, with a particular focus on building trust and affinity for the brand.
“Trust is the key word here,” he says. “We want to be a trustworthy company. That’s the key proposition of Thunes and the brand of Thunes.”
The second priority is driving demand by supporting the sales team, helping them engage new accounts, target the right prospects and ultimately enable them to sell more effectively.
Third is building a community by engaging Thunes’ existing customers and members, creating stronger relationships and greater stickiness with the business.
Finally, the focus is on scaling. Limousi notes that Thunes is a fast-growing company, which raised $150m in a Series D round last April. Therefore, this growth is accelerating the business’s global ambitions.
However, he emphasises that rapid expansion must not come at the expense of trust.
“We’re growing very quickly, and as a marketer, it’s exciting. There’s a lot of great stories that come out of this but also it’s how do we get ready to keep scaling and to serve the business while making sure there is still trust for the brand when there is more light shed on it,” he says.
When it comes to building and maintaining trust, Limousi emphasises that there is no “magical recipe.” Instead, he says, it comes down to discipline and a constant focus on the message that is communicated.
“You need to make sure its 100% accurate so that people know when they hear from you, they know that what you’re saying is true,” he says.
Overcommunicating is another critical element, particularly when challenges or issues arise. Limousi believes that transparency and proactive communication strengthen trust, rather than undermine it.
“We want to make sure the message always goes quickly to our customers, to our members and so on. When something happens, it’s really important to be over communicating and sharing what’s going on behind the scenes and what we’re working on to keep improving,” he says.
But trust is not built through messaging alone. Limousi highlights that it is also reflected in the smallest details of how a brand presents itself. One way Thunes reinforces trust is by consistently associating with other trustworthy brands.
“When we have public relations activities, may they be press releases or speaking engagements, we always try to work with other trustworthy companies so we can associate our brands together and that helps build trust,” he explains.
Equally important is the way the brand is designed and experienced. Every touchpoint, from corporate events to trade shows, must balance professionalism with approachability, creating a sense of reliability while still building affinity.
“For instance, when we go to a trade show, we want to look corporate enough but at the same time build love for the brand so it needs to be comfortable as well. It needs to be cozy when we go to an event, but it needs to also be solid on the brand look and feel,” he says.
Even the choice of colour and typography is intentional. Psychologists have shown that green conveys trust, which is why it is central to Thunes’ colour palette. Similarly, the brand’s typography has been designed to subtly echo trusted news sources, conveying credibility without being a direct copy.
For Limousi, building trust is far from an afterthought. It is a core objective that informs every marketing decision. Even the smallest details, those that operate at a subconscious level for customers, are carefully considered to reinforce confidence in the brand.
Hear more insights from Mathieu Limousi at FP Live! on the ‘Promoting Payments’ panel.