Swedish-based Ikano Bank is taking gamification to a new level. The bank, launched by Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad, is trying to encourage savings with a game called Flappy Saver, a Flappy Bird knockoff.
Players navigate a flying piggy bank and try to to protect their savings by avoiding crashing into jewelry stores and other places that might tempt shoppers. The game, available in apps for iOS and Android phones, is intended to be educational, but the real goal is to win the $14,000 prize awarded to the highest score.
“We want to get new customers to discover Ikano and do something for small savers, in whom most major banks aren’t that interested,” said Emma Roslund Johansson, a sales manager at Ikano’s Swedish operations.
Ikano is an upstart in a market controlled by just a few major players, but a higher interest rates on savings accounts could be a differentiator. Sweden’s largest banks recently lowered their interest rates, following the course set by the central bank.
Ikano Bank was founded in 1995 and is based in Lund, Sweden.