10 best practice examples of gamification in financial services

As gamification continues to grow in popularity, its applications within the financial sector are expanding. It's no longer confined to just a single aspect of customer interaction; it's redefining everything from credit card activation strategies to long-term investment planning.

Let’s get into it.👇 

Here, we will delve into specific applications of gamification in the financial sector:

Education through gamification

Younger demographics often face a steep learning curve in financial matters. Gamification can make education more engaging and accessible.

Real-life example: Monzo uses gamification to provide insights into spending habits and offers various challenges and goals to help users manage their finances.

From personalised challenges to social interactions, these game-like elements resonate with the younger generation's psyche, creating an emotional connection with financial management.

Encouraging positive financial behaviours

Gamification can turn the act of saving money into an engaging and rewarding process.

Real-life example: Moneybox offers a gamified approach to investing, allowing users to round up their daily purchases and invest the spare change. Their engaging interface makes investing approachable for everyone.

These gamified approaches not only make financial management more engaging but also educate and empower users to take control of their financial futures. As these methods continue to evolve, we can expect to see even more innovative and impactful applications of gamification in encouraging responsible financial habits.

Making financial education and literacy more interesting and accessible

The world of finance can often seem daunting and complex, especially for those new to the subject. Gamification offers an innovative and engaging way to break down barriers, enabling more people to acquire vital financial skills.

Real-life example: iGrad’s Enrich platform offers personalised financial literacy courses with interactive tools, quizzes, and videos. It’s designed to empower students and adults with the knowledge they need to make sound financial decisions.

By turning the educational process into an enjoyable and stimulating experience, gamification in financial education ensures that more people acquire essential financial skills in an engaging way. 

Gamification for customer onboarding

The onboarding process is a critical moment in a customer's relationship with a bank or financial institution. The first impression can shape how a customer perceives the brand and their willingness to engage further. 

Real-life example: U.S. Bank uses gamification in its mobile app to improve the customer onboarding experience. The "Start Smart Savings Program" is designed to make saving money fun and rewarding for new account holders. New customers are guided through the process with engaging prompts and rewarded with cash bonuses for reaching specific savings goals. The program has not only enhanced the user experience but has helped increase savings among new account holders.

By personalising the journey, providing interactive guidance, offering rewards, and analysing customer engagement, financial institutions can create a more engaging, satisfying, and efficient onboarding process.

Gamification for personal finance: streaks, points, and achievements

By integrating elements commonly found in games such as streaks, points, and achievements, financial institutions and FinTech companies are creating engaging experiences that motivate users towards better financial habits. 

Real-life example: Qapital is an innovative personal finance app that uses gamification to encourage saving and investment. By setting rules and goals, users can automate savings in a fun and engaging way. For instance, users can set up a "Round-Up Rule" where spare change from everyday purchases is rounded up to the nearest dollar and saved. 

Additionally, they can earn achievements for reaching specific savings milestones. By transforming the process of saving money into a game-like experience, Qapital motivates users to actively participate in their financial well-being.

By leveraging the dynamics of games, financial apps can connect with users on an emotional level, encourage positive financial behaviours, and foster loyalty. Streaks, points, and achievements act as daily reminders, motivators, and rewards, turning the otherwise mundane task of personal finance management into an engaging, productive, and satisfying experience. 

Levelling up credit card rewards

The integration of gamification within credit card rewards programs is another area of innovation. This approach leverages elements found in games to enhance user engagement and encourage specific spending behaviours. 

Real-life example: Chase Bank's Ultimate Rewards programme offers a points system where cardholders can earn points for every purchase made. These points can be redeemed for travel, gift cards, cashback, or even for purchases on Amazon. What makes this program particularly engaging is the ability to earn extra points in specific categories that rotate, adding a dynamic layer to the earning process. 

Some Chase cards also offer tiered benefits where higher spending unlocks additional rewards and bonuses. For those who want to maximise their points, understanding and playing within these rules becomes a game itself. 

Credit card rewards programs are a natural fit for gamification, offering opportunities to create engaging experiences that resonate with cardholders.

Online trading and investing platforms

The world of investment, often seen as dry and complex, has seen a transformative change. Gamifying investment platforms makes the experience more approachable, engaging, and stimulating, particularly for new or young investors.

Real-life example: eToro's social trading platform stands out for its integration of gamification. Users can start with a virtual portfolio, trading real markets with fake money, which allows them to practise and understand investing in a low-risk environment. eToro also offers a "CopyTrader" system where users can follow and copy the trades of successful investors, turning the investment process into a social and interactive experience. 

Features such as leaderboards, social feeds, and badges reward participation and success, making the process more game-like. 

eToro's platform not only makes investing more engaging but also helps educate new investors by providing a practical, hands-on approach to learning the market. The social components, like following and copying other successful traders, add community engagement and a competitive edge that resonates well with the intrinsic motivations of many users.

Employee training programmes

Gamification is not just about customer engagement; it's also being used internally within banking and financial sectors to train employees. 

Real-life example: Deloitte's Leadership Academy offers an online program that uses gamification to train employees, including those in the financial sector. Users go through different modules and courses that are filled with challenges, quizzes, and simulations. They can earn badges, points, and even see how they rank on leaderboards against their peers. 

The platform also offers tailored content depending on the user's role and interests, making it more engaging and relevant.

Deloitte's platform is a great example of how gamification can turn the process of learning complex financial products, compliance, ethics, and customer service skills into an engaging experience. The competition, rewards, and sense of progression tap into the intrinsic motivators that drive human behaviour, making the learning process not just effective but enjoyable.

Retirement planning: a gamified approach for a brighter future

Retirement planning is an essential part of financial planning but often perceived as dull or overwhelming, especially for younger generations. Integrating gamification can transform this perception so that it doesn't have to be a chore or a topic that's pushed aside for "later." 

With gamification, financial institutions can make retirement planning more approachable, interactive, and satisfying.

Real-life example: Voya Financial's myOrangeMoney offers a standout digital experience with its myOrangeMoney online platform. Designed to make retirement planning more engaging, it allows users to visually see their estimated monthly retirement income. Users can move sliders to see how different savings rates, retirement ages, and investment strategies could impact their future financial stability. 

This interactive experience, though not strictly a game, brings a gamified approach to retirement planning by allowing users to “play” with various financial scenarios. It's an excellent example of how gamification principles can be applied to foster better understanding and engagement with retirement planning. 

Through myOrangeMoney, Voya has managed to create a bridge between the distant future of retirement and present-day financial decisions. This interactive, visually appealing platform offers users an engaging way to interact with their retirement planning, making it more approachable and less intimidating.

Cryptocurrency engagement: elevating experience through gamification

Cryptocurrencies have captured the imagination and interest of investors and enthusiasts alike, and the introduction of gamification within this space has further ignited engagement. The world of cryptocurrencies is fast-paced and constantly evolving. It offers plenty of opportunities but can be intimidating for those new to the digital currency landscape

To enhance user engagement and loyalty, many crypto platforms have started leveraging gamification techniques.

Real-life example: Binance one of the world's largest cryptocurrency exchanges, offers an educational platform called Binance Academy. It's designed to make learning about cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology fun and accessible. Through interactive quizzes, video tutorials, and achievements, users can progress through different levels of understanding. 

Challenges are set, and rewards are offered for completing different learning paths. This gamified approach helps demystify complex crypto concepts, making them more accessible to newcomers and providing continuous learning opportunities for more seasoned traders.

By incorporating game-like elements into the learning and trading experience, Binance Academy not only educates but also engages users in a fun, interactive way. This promotes continuous learning, builds loyalty, and encourages more active participation in the cryptocurrency market.

The future of gamified finance

The era of gamified finance is just beginning. The fusion of technology, psychology, and economics is redefining the way we engage with money. Whether it's through encouraging sustainable investing or turning financial education into a rewarding experience, the future is full of possibilities.