Financial services group Sanlam has introduced Coach, an AI-powered personal finance guide designed to help South Africans better understand their money habits, strengths, and blind spots through simple, conversational interactions.
The virtual coach, available 24/7, acts like a fitness trainer for personal finance—listening before responding, learning before guiding, and offering tailored insights rather than generic advice. Using behavioural cues and user data, Coach identifies individual “money DNA” profiles to promote better financial decision-making.
“AI can’t replace human advisers, but it can make expert guidance more accessible, less intimidating, and more actionable,” Sanlam said.
Breaking Money Taboos and Building Confidence
The new initiative builds on Sanlam’s previous campaigns, including The F Word, which encouraged South Africans to talk openly about money, and Money Personalities, an AI-led experience that helped users uncover how their mindset influences spending and saving habits.
The company says open financial conversations directly improve financial health—something AI can help scale across households and demographics.
Introducing The F Factor: AI for Real Financial Change
Sanlam’s latest campaign, The F Factor, marks the next evolution of its AI-powered approach. Using an intelligent scoring engine, Coach now generates a personalised Financial Focus Report highlighting a user’s top three priority areas for financial improvement.
Each report provides:
- A user’s financial focus theme
- Their top three priority areas
- Contextual explanations for each focus area
- Practical next steps linked to Sanlam’s advisory and product ecosystem
The approach removes complexity and judgment, replacing them with clarity, direction, and momentum.
Hyper-Personalised Marketing through AI Insights
Beyond customer engagement, Sanlam is using AI-driven insights to transform its marketing and service communications.
Instead of generic product ads, each customer’s Financial Focus Report informs all future communications—across email, WhatsApp, and digital ads—ensuring relevance and eliminating spam.
This shift represents a new era of empathetic, data-led financial support, positioning AI as both a driver of inclusion and a bridge to better financial literacy.
“Coach marks the beginning of a new era of client-centric innovation, where AI helps every household move from uncertainty to financial confidence.”
