Game on: explore FNB’s powerful nav» tools and stand a chance to win

The most critical tasks and habits for better life outcomes are often the most difficult to implement. In fact, the world’s largest online behavioural science destination, Psychology Today, outlines that bad habits are easy and good habits are hard. This reality extends across all parts of the human experience, from forming habits and rituals that cultivate a healthy lifestyle to those that ensure healthy personal finance and money management. 

Fortunately, global experts like game designer Nick Pelling, who was once tasked with developing game-like interfaces for ATMs and vending machines, developed the theory of “gamification” after realising that game mechanics and concepts could be applied to non-gaming contexts.

“The use of gamification is key to influencing behavioural change in the financial services industry, where good habits can mean the difference between a healthy, secure bank balance and serious financial troubles. As we seek to provide meaningful help in the day-to-day lives of our customers at FNB, we combine integrated advice, technology and gamification to help them manage their money more effectively,” says Jolandé Duvenage, FNB’s chief imagineer for its flagship nav» platform, which is housed within the FNB Banking app and features USSD integration.

The nav» platform includes “innovative digital tools that are designed to simplify life for FNB’s customers and help them make smart financial decisions for themselves and their businesses”. 

FNB recently announced that 5-million customers now use its nav» Money tool — a major milestone that sees the bank empowering millions of users with smart resources for personal finance management like budgeting.

“As we celebrate this milestone, we’re also excited to give back to our customers by adding value to their lives beyond banking and rewarding their loyalty,” says Duvenage, adding that the success of nav» is also the success of the bank’s customers. 

That’s why FNB has designed a nav» gamification campaign geared towards encouraging customers to explore the nav» platform, take advantage of its powerful tools, and enter a competition where they can complete missions to stand a chance to win amazing prizes. This includes:

• Mission 1: Win 1 of 10 PlayStation 5 Slimline consoles plus 20 x R2,000 KFC vouchers;
• Mission 2: Win 1 of 10 iPhone 16 Pros plus 20 x R2,000 Nike vouchers; and
• Mission 3: Win a Haval H6 GT plus 5 x prizes of fuel for a year in eBucks valued at R60,000 each.

“The campaign went live on the FNB and RMB Private Bank App on March 10 — and we’re already seeing some amazing engagement on social media. And it’s more than just a competition; it’s a chance to engage customers through exciting missions and tasks while, most importantly, improving their money management skills,” says Duvenage. 

The campaign, ending on June 9 2025, has three missions allowing multiple entries per person — meaning better chances to win.

Customers can also boost their entries by:

• Completing app tasks on nav» (one entry each)
• Finding and sharing the special competition badges on social media using the hashtag #FNBnavLife (100 entries each)
• Clicking and viewing offers in nav» (100 entries each)
• Switching their cheque account and transacting (100 entries each)

To start playing, users can simply log on to the FNB Banking app, go to the nav» tab and follow the prompts.

“The success of FNB’s nav» tool reflects the bank’s commitment to delivering true help to our customers’ lives in an innovative way that can really make a difference. And, as the platform continues to evolve, FNB remains focused on leveraging technology to create solutions that address the evolving challenges that South Africans continue to face — from financial inclusion to sustainability,” says Duvenage. 

This article was sponsored by FNB.