FNB Lesotho (First National Bank of Lesotho), part of South Africa’s FirstRand financial group, and Visa, the global payments company, ran a prize contest for customers who paid by card around the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The bank says the aim was to move shoppers from cash to digital payments.
The contest terms published by the bank say it closed on 31 July 2026. Press reports say weekly prize draws started on 1 June 2026 and listed monthly prizes, including a three-month salary payout.
A South African-owned bank in Lesotho used football fever to push card payments.
How the Contest Worked
Customers who swiped, tapped or paid online with their FNB Lesotho Visa debit cards were entered automatically if eligible, according to the contest terms. Winners were drawn at random from customers who paid by card at least three times a week, the terms say.
Press reports listed the weekly prizes as petrol vouchers, paraffin vouchers and cash, starting on 1 June 2026, and the monthly prizes as a three-month salary payout, grocery vouchers and cash. The terms themselves name cash, petrol, grocery and paraffin prizes.
A street in central Maseru, Lesotho’s capital. File photo. Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsWhat the Bank Said
Delekazi Mokebe, chief executive of FNB Lesotho, said the contest was launched as excitement built for the World Cup. Nthabeleng Khoali, the bank’s head of retail, said the bank wanted to encourage “effortless and secure payments” while rewarding customers weekly and monthly.
FNB also urged local businesses to take up FNB Speed Points, its card payment terminals, so that they could accept card payments. A cashless shift needs shops that take cards as well as customers who carry them.
Why It Matters
The contest rewarded small everyday purchases, such as groceries or fuel, with a chance of a prize. Visa supplied the prizes, according to press reports.
For FNB, the contest builds card activity and more shops that accept cards. Our Lesotho explainer gives the wider economic background.