July 31, 2025

How iBank and Personetics are Transforming Personal Finance in Japan

By Gyusik Kim, Account Manager, Personetics Japan 

As the Account Manager at Personetics Japan, I have had the privilege of working closely with the dedicated team at iBank Marketing—a subsidiary of the Fukuoka Financial Group (FFG)—and witnessing firsthand how our collaboration has brought meaningful financial guidance to Japanese consumers. Our partnership, which helped us to redefine how customers interact with their finances, has been an incredibly rewarding journey.

I recently had the honor of sitting down with Kimitake Fakuda, President of iBank Marketing, to reflect on the innovations they are bringing to banking in Japan.

Japan’s Unique Banking Landscape

Japan’s financial sector presents a distinctive set of challenges and opportunities: while trust in banks remains high, customer engagement is often limited, and many individuals tend to refrain from actively managing their finances. iBank recognized this as an opportunity to support customers by delivering approachable and relevant services integrated into familiar, everyday channels.

As Kimitake Fakuda explained, although most people in Japan have bank accounts, they have traditionally kept their money in savings rather than actively investing or managing their assets. Consequently, he believes that financial literacy among individuals in Japan is still low compared to many other countries.

iBank recognized this as an opportunity to support customers by delivering approachable and relevant services integrated into familiar, everyday channels.

A Vision Beyond Traditional Banking

When iBank first began working with Personetics, the goal was ambitious: to enhance customers’ daily lives by transforming banking from a purely financial interaction into a broader experience.

Fakuda emphasized that early on, iBank identified education as a key part of their strategy, focusing on helping users build awareness of their financial habits and develop better money management skills. To help close the literacy gap and promote smarter, more confident financial decision-making, iBank pioneered the use of Personetics’ solution in Japan through Wallet+, its flagship mobile app. Using AI-powered insights that are timely, contextualized, and actionable, Wallet+ seamlessly blends banking tools with non-financial services like reward points and local content.

“We believe that Personetics’ data is essential for personalizing information delivery,” Fakuda added, noting its importance in making insights more meaningful and impactful for each individual customer.

Making Money Management Personal

A cornerstone of iBank’s Wallet+ app is Picks, which is powered by Personetics’ AI-driven Cognitive Banking platform. Picks provides Wallet+ users with practical guidance like daily budgeting advice, savings tips, and asset-building suggestions, based on their individual transaction history and behavior patterns. According to Fakuda, “Through Personetics’ technology, we leverage the data accumulated by iBank to provide daily budgeting support and future financial planning, personalized for each user.”

What sets Picks apart is not just the contextualization, but also the paradigm shift it brought about in the way that iBank communicates with its customers. “Before partnering with Personetics, our only option was to use push-based marketing communication. Thanks to our collaboration with Personetics, we have shifted to pull-based marketing communication, which has been a major breakthrough.”

This more user-centered approach has opened the door for iBank to deepen engagement and improve customer satisfaction. Customers have responded positively to content that helps them reflect on their spending habits and improves their financial wellness, such as reminders when monthly expenses exceed the user’s norm.

Building Insights with Engagement Builder

In just two years, iBank has created over 500 different insights using the Personetics Engagement Builder, without the need to write code. This has enabled the bank to swiftly create and deliver a wide range of insights; from day-to-day financial tips to seasonal campaigns. By continually reviewing user ratings and analytics, iBank is constantly and successfully fine-tuning the guidance it provides, keeping pace with evolving customer expectations.

The results were impressive: For 2024, iBank’s insights saw 34.6% digital engagement and 31.4% click-through rate (CTR). During 2025, the (CTR) has increased to 33.3%, providing clear validation that our collaboration has borne fruit.

iBank is currently focusing on further improving the quality of its insights and, to this end, launched a dedicated project team to lead the effort earlier this year.

Looking Ahead: From Foundation to Business Impact

Reflecting on the journey so far, Fakuda explained that the first two years of working with Personetics have been about laying the groundwork to ensure that insights are delivered consistently. With this foundation in place, iBank’s next focus is on using the platform to drive more direct business outcomes, such as increasing adoption of savings products or loan services.

“Moving forward, we plan to place greater emphasis on business impact. We aim to encourage the use of financial services, such as savings accounts and card loans.”

Final Thoughts

As I look back on our partnership with iBank, I am genuinely proud that we supported their mission. The team’s commitment to innovation, customer well-being, and financial education is both inspiring and humbling. In a market as complex and cautious as Japan, where customers often see banks as distant institutions, iBank’s achievement is truly noteworthy.

Together, we’ve built a solution that not only fits the needs of Japanese consumers but also empowers them with the knowledge and tools to build a more secure financial future. By leveraging AI, iBank is delivering truly personalized insights at scale, ensuring content is always timely, always relevant and fully aligned with each customer’s behavior. I look forward to continuing our journey together and seeing what other goals we can accomplish.

To explore how Personetics can help your bank achieve similar success to iBank, schedule a complimentary consultation.