It struck a nerve, prompting many people to rethink their relationship with money and even commit to changing how they spend. Now, Standard Bank’s Money Reels has been recognised for that impact, winning the award for Best Customer Insight Initiative in South Africa from The Digital Banker.
When Standard Bank introduced Money Reels, a personalised year‑end recap that transformed each customer’s financial activity into meaningful insights, it sparked more than just engagement. What followed was an unexpected social media frenzy, one that’s far less typical for financial services. Customers openly shared and reflected, confronting their own money habits in public.
“The reaction was bigger than we expected, not only from our clients, but from the public too. It showed that when data feels familiar and easy to understand, people connect with it emotionally. We’re honoured to be recognised by The Digital Banker for the impact Standard Bank Money Reels has had,” says Shené Mothilal, Solution Owner for Digital Money Manager at Standard Bank.
The problem Standard Bank’s Money Reels set out to solve
Mothilal explains that the Digital Money Manager team did not set out to simply build another banking app feature. Their focus has always been to make money feel less confusing and financial decisions less overwhelming to help customers manage their finances better.
“The simple question that sparked Money Reels was: What if understanding your money felt as effortless as watching your own story?” she adds.
Building on its Digital Money Manager platform, Standard Bank reimagined how financial data could be delivered. Instead of relying on traditional dashboards or statements, the team which includes data analysts and behavioural experts, created a more intuitive experience.
The result was personalised short, mobile-first videos, available in the banking app. Each reel brought together the customer’s spending patterns, savings progress, credit changes and key life moments in one place. This made their financial story easier to see and understand.
The impact
Nearly 450,000 customers engaged with Standard Bank’s Money Reels, with an 80% completion rate.
Standard Bank’s Money Reels also drove strong adoption of Standard Bank’s Digital Money Manager, adding around 175,000 new users. It further contributed to 537 new banking app installs.
Importantly, the insights in the videos resonated across age groups. Almost a quarter of engagement came from customers aged over 50.
“We had expected the reels to resonate mainly with younger users, but the format proved popular across age groups. Gen Z found the format familiar, Millennials found the content efficient and relatable, while older customers described it as simple and intuitive. The reels moved many people emotionally and practically,” adds Mothilal.
Looking ahead, Standard Bank plans to expand Standard Bank’s Money Reels beyond the year‑end recap. The bank sees this format as a new way to communicate data clearly and simply, helping customers better understand their habits and make smarter financial decisions.
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