Latest news with #Duvenage
The Citizen
30-04-2025
- Lifestyle
- The Citizen
FNB nav» uses gamification to reward and improve money management habits among South Africans
The use of gamification is key to influencing behavioural change in the financial services industry. 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 nav». Milestone for FNB's nav» platform Incidentally, FNB recently announced a major milestone for its flagship nav» platform. Housed within its banking app and with USSD integration, the bank announced that 5 million customers now use its nav» Money tool, 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. To mark the celebration of this milestone, FNB has designed a nav» Gamification Campaign geared towards encouraging customers to explore the nav» hub, take advantage of its powerful tools, and enter a competition for a chance to win amazing prizes, including: Mission 1: Win 1 of 10 PlayStation 5 Slimline consoles + 20 x R2000 KFC vouchers Mission 2: Win 1 of 10 iPhone 16 Pros + 20 x R2000 Nike vouchers Mission 3: Win the Haval H6 GT + 5 x fuel for a year in eBucks valued at R60 000 each 'The campaign went live on the FNB & RMB Private Bank App on 10 March — 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,' adds Duvenage. How to boost campaign entries The campaign, ending on 9 June 2025, has three missions allowing multiple entries per person – meaning better chances to win. Customers can boost their entries by: Completing app tasks on nav» (1 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,' concludes Duvenage.
TimesLIVE
22-04-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Game on: explore FNB's powerful nav» tools and stand a chance to win
'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: 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.
The Citizen
22-04-2025
- The Citizen
Lawyers who steal: R1.4bn trust fund theft ignored
Unscrupulous lawyers have plundered their clients' trust funds to the tune of R1.4 billion with more than 500 cases documented – but only 59 convictions were made in seven years and just 25 resulted in jail time. More than 500 cases in which lawyers are accused of stealing more than R1.4 billion of their clients' money from trust funds have not been prosecuted. This was revealed by statistics recently released by the Legal Practice Fidelity Fund. The figures show that 561 trust fund theft cases, in which lawyers allegedly stole R1.4 billion from clients, remain unprosecuted. They also revealed that only 59 convictions were made in seven years and just 25 resulted in jail time. Concern about integrity of legal profession Wayne Duvenage, CEO of corruption fighting group Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), said lack of accountability in trust fund theft cases in South Africa, was not taken seriously by the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) or the Legal Practice Council (LPC), which raises serious concerns about the integrity of the legal profession and the effectiveness of regulatory oversight. 'A reason often given is that the NPA is stretched thin and lacks the forensic capacity to investigate these complex financial crimes, but this excuse must come to an end,' said Duvenage. 'A matter of more serious concern is that the LPC internal disciplinary actions are often opaque, and weak and complainants are rarely updated on outcomes. ALSO READ: Barred KZN attorney who misappropriated R2m in trust funds to 'prop up lifestyle' loses case to be readmitted 'There appears to be a lack of leadership and political will to address this matter. Theft or misconduct in the legal profession appears to be far more lenient compared to lower-level financial crimes. 'It would appear that regulators may be reluctant to aggressively pursue cases that could further erode public confidence in the legal system.' Trust fund theft: Corrupt lawyers protected? Duvenage said before the establishment of the LPC in 2018, the provincial law societies failed to maintain proper oversight or respond robustly to growing reports of trust fund abuse. He said the entity's provincial offices were often accused of protecting corrupt lawyers. 'Even now, many former law society structures and personnel still influence current regulatory culture, slowing down the pace of reform. 'Until the LPC takes a more aggressive stance and works closely with the NPA, the SA Police Service and Treasury to criminally prosecute trust fund theft, and until parliament holds regulators accountable, this pattern will persist. A major overhaul of legal oversight and the urgent recapitalisation of the Fidelity Fund are long overdue.' ALSO READ: Bar of South Africa refers sexual abuse allegations against advocate Jeremy Gauntlett for investigation LPC defends itself LPC spokesperson Kabelo Letebele defended his organisation, saying the delay of the cases was not their fault and that the LPC was doing its best to address reported complaints. Letebele said on average, the LPC dealt with over 1 000 complaints per month and in the past two years, complaints had exceeded 14 000 each year. He said over 90% of the complaints were finalised each year and the serious cases of misconduct have resulted in suspensions or striking off of more than 150 legal practitioners in 2024 alone. 'The law restricts the role of the LPC in investigating complaints and initiating disciplinary processes. 'In other words, we investigate complaints of misconduct or subject a legal practitioner to an investigation and can subject them to a disciplinary hearing. 'Once our independent investigations committee and independent disciplinary committee have concluded their work, they recommend that the LPC should apply to court for a suspension or strike off. 'This recommendation, together with all the details on the matter, including evidence presented, is then considered by the council, which makes the final decision on the matter.' ALSO READ: More than 100 legal practitioners struck off the roll He said that once a lawyer has been struck off by the high court, the LPC's involvement ends. In the event criminal proceedings were initiated against lawyers by the South African Police Service or the NPA, the process is not under oversight of the LPC, although a number of times the LPC has been called in to testify or give information in support of the court process. Dodgy lawyers 'disappointing' President of the Law Society of South Africa Nkosana Mvundlela said the growing number of lawyers reported to the LPC was concerning. 'While the overwhelming majority of legal practitioners uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism, the conduct of a few continues to cast a shadow over the entire profession. 'As a voluntary association committed to promoting the integrity and excellence of the legal profession, the LSSA is deeply disappointed by these numbers. 'They represent not only a breach of legal ethics but a loss of trust by members of the public, who rely on attorneys to act with honour and accountability.' ALSO READ: Mkhwebane says move to strike her from roll of advocates is 'politically motivated' Mvundlela said with approximately 6 000 candidate attorneys entering the system each year and thousands more in active practice, the number of practitioners who face serious disciplinary action remains relatively small by proportion. 'However, even one instance of serious misconduct is one too many.' Terrence Manase, spokesperson for Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development Mmamoloko Kubayi, said the department acknowledged the reported statistics and took the matter with the utmost seriousness. 'We want to assure the public that decisive steps are being taken to strengthen accountability and restore trust.' NOW READ: Convicted man's 10-year jail sentence set aside due to lawyer's suspension
