Insights

Webinar Recap: The Perfect Partner Pairing: How Somos and First Orion are Advancing Call Authentication for Financial Institutions

Apr 06, 2026

How Somos and First Orion Are Advancing Call Authentication for Financial Institutions

Trust is the foundation of every successful customer interaction. But as call spoofing, mislabeling and brand impersonation continue to rise, trust in voice communications is becoming harder to maintain.

In this recent webinar, The Perfect Partner Pairing: How Somos and First Orion Are Advancing Call Authentication for Financial Institutions, experts from across the telecom ecosystem explored how authentication, branding and blocking work together to restore confidence in voice.

Moderated by Susan Tamida, Senior Product Manager at Somos, the session featured Michele Bilton-Smith, Senior Director, Solutions Consultant at Somos, Josh Whitehurst, Head of Product at First Orion and Julie Fowler, VP, Sales Engineering at First Orion.

Together, they shared how a combined, standards-based approach is helping financial institutions strengthen trust, improve engagement and protect their brand.

Why Trust in Voice Needs a New Approach

Across industries, trust depends on knowing who is calling and whether that identity can be verified.

For financial institutions, this challenge is especially critical. Customers are increasingly hesitant to answer calls, even when they are legitimate. This hesitation directly impacts fraud prevention, customer service and overall brand integrity.

As highlighted during the discussion, phone numbers act as identity signals. When those numbers are spoofed or misused, trust breaks down and customers disengage.

The takeaway is clear. Restoring trust requires a stronger, verifiable foundation for identity in voice communications.

Authentication: The Foundation for Verified Identity

A central theme of the webinar was the importance of call authentication.

Somos enables cryptographic proof that an entity is authorized to use a specific telephone number. This standards-based approach creates a level of verification that goes beyond simple identification.

Authentication establishes a trusted foundation that other solutions can rely on. Without it, branding can be spoofed and trust can be undermined. With it, identity becomes enforceable and measurable across the ecosystem.

Enabling Trusted Branding and Smarter Blocking

Once identity is verified, branding and blocking become significantly more effective.

First Orion builds on this authenticated foundation to apply accurate call branding and more precise call blocking decisions. This ensures that legitimate calls are clearly identified while suspicious or fraudulent calls can be stopped.

Together, authentication, branding and blocking form a unified solution that protects financial institutions, strengthens customer confidence and improves the overall voice experience.

Real-World Deployment and Adoption

The panel also shared insights into how financial institutions are adopting this approach.

Organizations are looking for solutions that are easy to deploy, standards-based and capable of delivering immediate value. A combined Somos and First Orion model enables a streamlined implementation that accelerates time to value.

This integrated model allows financial institutions to quickly improve trust in their outbound and inbound communications while reducing exposure to spoofing and impersonation.

Key Takeaways

The discussion highlighted several important themes for financial institutions:

• Trust in voice communications must be built on verified identity

• Authentication is essential to enable effective branding and blocking

• Standards-based approaches support scalability and consistency

• Integrated solutions simplify deployment and improve outcomes

As fraud tactics continue to evolve, financial institutions need solutions that go beyond surface-level protections.

By combining authentication, branding and blocking, organizations can take a more comprehensive approach to restoring trust in voice communications and protecting their brand.

To learn more or continue the conversation, reach out to connect@somos.com.