Executive Vice President - Chief Operating Officer
PeoplesBank
Aleda DeMaria is a seasoned banking executive with a proven track record of leading high performing teams, driving growth and delivering results. As the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer of PeoplesBank, she leads the Bank’s strategic initiative in the arenas of digital growth and fintech sponsorships, technology and business solutions, and operations. She is one of the creators of the Bank’s digital-only brand, ZYNLO Bank. Founded in 2020, ZYNLO Bank is a multi-award-winning digital brand featured by Forbes, Fortune, and MarketWatch among others. In 2025, Aleda’s digital team launched PeoplesBank’s second digital-only brand, Union Workers Financial Services. With additional partnerships to launch this year, PeoplesBank is positioned to be a breakout organization in the fields of digital growth and partnerships. Aleda is on the advisory board for Mendon Venture Partners and has been featured in several industry articles, conferences and podcasts and is known for being a strategic thinker and leader.
Aleda is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and was named to the Business West’s 40 Under Forty class of 2019. She resides in Massachusetts with her daughter, Kyla.
Community banks are facing a make-or-break moment: customers expect seamless digital experiences, fraud is escalating across every channel, and AI is rapidly reshaping how decisions get made—from credit to compliance. This panel explores how community banks can modernize intelligently without losing what makes them distinctive. Panelists will discuss where AI and advanced analytics are delivering real ROI today, how banks should think about cloud and core modernization without blowing up operations, and the right way to approach fintech partnerships—when to build, when to buy, and when to collaborate. Notably, industry executives will dig into the technologies that will define competitiveness in 2026 and beyond, and the strategic choices community banks can’t afford to delay.
The discussion will center on how community banks can compete and collaborate in a digital-first financial ecosystem, including: