The 25-year-old rewards programme earns renewed global recognition for loyalty excellence
FNB is proud to announce that its innovative eBucks Rewards programme has received three prestigious accolades at the 2026 International Loyalty Awards (ILA) recently held in Atlanta, United States. In its 25th year, the programme was recognised as the Best B2B rewards programme worldwide, Best Global Loyalty Programme/Initiative in Financial Services (for the third consecutive year), and Best International Loyalty Program of the Year in Africa.
Established in 2010, the International Loyalty Awards are among the most respected global benchmarks in the industry. Now in its 17th year, the ILA celebrate excellence, innovation, and best practice across the global loyalty landscape.
Commenting on the achievement, Lytania Johnson, CEO of FNB says, “These awards are a powerful affirmation of our commitment to delivering meaningful value to our customers. We have been deliberate in ensuring that we offer value-adding rewards that help people where and when they need it most, particularly at a time when South Africans are navigating sustained financial pressure.”
“eBucks continues to play an important role in helping individuals and businesses stretch their money further on everyday essentials. Our focus remains on using data, innovation, and an integrated platform to deliver rewards that are not only accessible, but that genuinely improve our customers’ financial well-being.”
Pieter Woodhatch, CEO of eBucks Rewards at FNB echoes this sentiment, “Being recognised on the global stage for the third consecutive year reflects the strength, relevance, and adaptability of the eBucks Rewards programme. We have built a simple, partner-driven rewards ecosystem that is deeply embedded in our customers’ financial journeys from fuel and groceries to travel and lifestyle spend.”
“As customers’ needs continue to evolve, we’ve remained focused on enhancing value, simplifying experiences, and rewarding positive financial behaviours that ultimately help customers get more out of their money,” he says. FNB’s eBucks latest data shows that recent customer behaviour underscores the growing role of the reward programme in supporting everyday financial resilience,” adds Woodhatch.
“Looking at the past 12 months to March 2026, we also observed a significant milestone within our Retail Banking customer base, where for the first time in our history, the ratio of eBucks spent to eBucks earned exceeded 100%. This indicates that customers are actively drawing down on their accumulated rewards to support everyday expenses, complemented by increased activity around eBucks Pay Day on the 15th of each month,” he says.
Furthermore, Woodhatch highlights that “Since inception of the programme, over the past 25 years, eBucks has paid out more than R25 billion in rewards to South Africans, supporting everyday spending on essential needs. This milestone reflects our ongoing commitment to delivering meaningful value to our customers. As we look ahead, we’re excited to introduce new innovations that will further enhance the experience, while aiming to deliver more than R2.7 billion in rewards and tangible value this year for customers”
FNB is no stranger to global recognition. The eBucks programme was previously awarded Best Global Loyalty Programme/Initiative in Financial Services in 2024 and 2025, as well as Best Long-Term Loyalty Programme Worldwide. In addition, eBucks was named the Strongest Brand in South Africa by Brand Finance in 2024, and has received multiple international accolades, including Best Use of Technology (2022 & 2023) and Best Programme in Middle East & Africa (2022 & 2023).
“We are continuously evolving eBucks to ensure it remains relevant, impactful, and aligned to the real financial needs of our customers. Our ambition is to keep leading and setting the benchmark for loyalty programmes globally, while delivering tangible, everyday value to South Africans. We invite customers to come and experience all eBucks has for them” concludes Woodhatch.
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