Feijoa named INFINZ innovation finalist for KiwiSaver app
Mon, 13th Apr 2026
Feijoa has been named a finalist in the innovation category of the INFINZ Awards, placing the savings app among contenders in New Zealand's financial services sector.
The app rounds up everyday purchases to the nearest dollar and directs the difference into a user's nominated KiwiSaver account, making saving part of routine spending rather than a separate budgeting decision.
The finalist placing adds to a string of recent milestones for the business. Feijoa was selected for the 2026 Creative HQ Fintech Lab accelerator and won the Audience Choice award at the Kiwibank Start Up Pitch Breakfast at the FintechNZ Hui.
The INFINZ Awards recognise work across New Zealand's financial services sector, and the innovation category highlights new or improved services designed to create value for customers and the wider economy. For Feijoa, the nomination reflects a broader push by newer fintech firms to find simple ways to increase long-term household savings.
Mark White-Robinson, Co-founder of Feijoa, said the recognition mattered because it came from within the sector.
"Being named a finalist alongside some of the most respected names in New Zealand financial services means a lot to us," White-Robinson said.
Feijoa says its users contribute an average of $2.60 a day through the round-up model. At that pace, users would add almost $1,000 to their KiwiSaver savings over a year without changing their income, budgets or spending habits.
The company argues that small daily amounts can materially affect retirement savings over time. The model relies on regular transactions, with each rounded-up payment making a modest contribution that can build over the long term.
White-Robinson said the award recognition reinforced that idea.
"It's the sector saying that technology has a genuine role to play in helping Kiwis build a better financial future - a sentiment that sits right at the heart of what Feijoa does: making saving a frictionless and natural part of everyday life," he said.
How it works
Feijoa says the app works across all KiwiSaver schemes in New Zealand and connects to users' banks through Akahu, an open finance platform used to authorise bank access.
According to the company, Akahu uses regulated bank connection methods where available, allowing customers to authorise access directly with their bank rather than providing login credentials to Feijoa. Feijoa does not access KiwiSaver accounts directly, hold or manage KiwiSaver funds, or provide financial advice.
Those safeguards are central to building trust in products that sit between consumers' bank activity and their long-term retirement savings. Savings-focused fintech firms have faced the challenge of persuading users that automation can be both convenient and secure.
Growth plans
Feijoa continues to develop its platform and plans to introduce rewards and other features to encourage saving and support more regular use of the service.
White-Robinson said the product was built around the cumulative effect of small purchases.
"With Feijoa, the round-up from every coffee or grocery shop compounds into something meaningful over time. That's the idea we've built the whole product around, and it's great to see the financial services sector recognising its potential," he said.
The company also said users are collectively on track to contribute an extra $1.6 million to their KiwiSaver savings this year, with that total forecast to grow to more than $60 million by the time they retire, although it did not provide a fuller breakdown of that estimate. Even so, the figure underlines how Feijoa is framing its offer: not as a replacement for existing retirement savings, but as an additional stream built from everyday transactions.
Feijoa remains focused on using small-value payments to increase KiwiSaver balances with limited effort from users.
"We're focused on building the infrastructure for a future where better savings outcomes are the default, not the result of greater effort or financial expertise. There's a lot more to come," White-Robinson said.