FNB app launches youth and payroll tools

FNB is launching two new offerings in its banking app: nav» Youth, which provides financial and career guidance for younger customers; and nav» Payroll, which helps businesses pay employees and generate compliant payslips.

FNB nav» is a built-in digital ecosystem within the bank’s dedicated app.

“What began as a tool to help customers understand and manage their money has grown into a platform supporting life’s biggest decisions,” says the company. “As FNB’s nav» ecosystem marks its tenth anniversary, customer behaviour points to growing demand for practical guidance beyond traditional banking, from saving and homeownership to mobility, protection and giving back.

According to FNB, more than 6-million people have used nav» Money with users creating over R1.75-billion in savings goals. Engagement with the service has increased 7.5-fold since launch. Nav» Home has supported more than R76-billion in home loans, while nav» Car has recorded 1.34-million vehicles in the virtual garage and 728,000 digital licence renewals. Licence renewals increased by more than 40% year on year. Nav» Care has channelled more than R10.5 million in donations to verified charities and community organisations.

“The last decade has taught us that being better off means something different for everyone. For some people it’s having enough savings to navigate an unexpected setback,” says nav» CEO Clair Brenner. “For others it’s buying a first home, starting a business or creating an additional income stream. What matters is that we continue to listen, understand what’s changing in people’s lives and build solutions that genuinely help. Every interaction gives us a deeper understanding of our customers, and that understanding allows us to create more meaningful support when it’s needed most.”

According to FNB, customers are no longer simply tracking their finances they are budgeting, saving and planning ahead, addressing pressure before it becomes financial distress. Today, 74% of active nav» Money users engage at a deeper level, and nav» Money users are measurably better off financially than those who don’t use the tools.

The new nav» Youth offering has been designed around the realities facing younger South Africans as they navigate financial independence, changing career paths, entrepreneurship and multiple income streams. The tool aims to bring together a revamped Learning Hub covering credit, budgeting and growing a side hustle; Life’s Keys, a curated set of tools for life’s biggest firsts; and the Career Compass podcast. Early traction has been strong: in the first half of the financial year, nav» Youth drove more than 450,000 interactions giving 94,000 young customers the tools.

Stability as the foundation

According to FNB, a decade of nav» data shows that customers increasingly view financial stability as a foundation for larger goals. Actions such as managing money, understanding a credit profile and setting savings targets can support plans to buy a home, start a business or develop additional income streams.

Nav» Home has helped 61,000 customers find homes while expanding into a broader homeownership ecosystem, while nav» Car and nav» Marketplace connect customers with trusted providers — with nav» Marketplace generating R4.7-million in revenue for small businesses and making 9,500 service providers searchable.

The newly launched nav» Payroll is an on-platform offering that gives businesses a simple, compliant and affordable way to pay their people. It offers five free payslips a month (R25 per payslip thereafter), automates SARS-aligned reporting, and issues professional payslips that serve as formal proof of income, helping employees access credit, housing and other essentials.

“The traditional financial journey is becoming less common,” says Brenner. “Customers are adapting to a world that’s changing faster than ever before. They’re building multiple income streams, exploring new opportunities and looking for greater financial certainty. We understand those realities and help create a stable foundation to enable their ambitions. That’s exactly why we’re launching nav» Youth and nav» Payroll to meet customers and small employers where they actually are.”

Customer future

According to Jolandé Duvenage, CEO of value ecosystems and customer experience at FNB, customers no longer experience banking through individual products, but through connected life decisions.

Duvenage says: “Whether customers are managing money, buying a home, building a business, improving household resilience or supporting a cause, they don’t see these as separate journeys. Our role is to connect these experiences in ways that remove friction and help customers make progress.”

That thinking, says the bank, is shaping solutions such as nav» Earth, which supports energy, solar and sustainability decisions, and nav» Care, which channels millions of rands in donations to verified causes.

FNB’s nav» 10-year birthday campaign, live now in the FNB and RMB Private Bank apps, delivers six months of play across three gamified missions. The main prize is the Ultimate Rugby Experience in 2027, with MacBook Airs, Nintendo Switch 2s, Nando’s vouchers, Pick n Pay groceries for a year and eBucks for fuel also up for grabs.

“As we enter the next decade, connected ecosystems will become critical,” says Duvenage. “Our focus is on helping customers navigate change, unlock opportunity and build stronger futures.”