ČSOB
Kids learn how money works inside the bank's own app.
ČSOB in the Czech Republic wanted children to learn how money works inside the bank's own app, not a separate game. Elevon designed Alfíci: a system of badges and collectible animal heroes built into ČSOB Smart that turns everyday account activity into a structured path toward financial literacy. The program launched with Mastercard as partner.
A financial literacy program children actually use, built into the app the family already has.
What changed
- Launched in July 2026, with Mastercard as partner
- Built into ČSOB Smart, no separate app or login
- Tested with children and their legal guardians
01The challenge
Learning happens in the app.
The goal was never to gamify banking. It was to make financial literacy a natural part of everyday life.
In detail
Financial literacy for children is widely agreed to matter, and is hard to deliver. Standalone education apps are downloaded and abandoned. Printed materials are not where children's money behavior actually happens. The behavior happens in the banking app, when a child gets pocket money, makes a card payment, or checks how much they have.
ČSOB had the right context: children aged 8 to 12 with their own accounts and cards inside ČSOB Smart. What it did not have was a way to turn that everyday activity into learning, without turning the bank app into a toy or burying parents in notifications.
Client
“We want to help children understand how money works, right inside the ČSOB Smart app. We turn their everyday activity into visible, understandable progress.”
02What we built
Designed around the child.
A program shaped around how children behave, built to live inside the bank's real product.
The product
Alfíci in the app
Children unlock and grow animal heroes for different money habits. Each one evolves and explains why a given habit matters.
App home: the Alfíci entry on the home screen 
Badge, Kiro the Guardian: why it pays to check your account 
How to earn a badge: concrete, child-friendly steps 
Badge, Kaito Kuro: a reward to work toward 
Parent notification: parents kept informed of progress 
Kiro, Ryuu, Kaito Kuro: the account guardian, evolves for regular check-ins 
The dragon line: the saver, evolves for setting money aside
Real screens from ČSOB Smart. The account number is masked; the child, mascots and balance are illustrative.
Why this design
Designed around how children behave
Four equal gaming periods, each with basic badges, bonus badges for completing a category, and a master badge that unlocks a reward. As they progress, children collect new animal heroes, giving instant, tangible feedback. A child starting in any period misses nothing.
Built into the existing product
Designed to live inside ČSOB Smart and integrate with the bank's real systems: activity triggers, content delivery, and in-app guidance from the collectible animal heroes. No separate app, no parallel login.
Parents informed and in control by design
Parent and guardian communication was built into the mechanic from the start: notifications about a child's progress, interaction prompts, and clear boundaries. The system keeps families involved without pressure or noise.
Grounded in child psychology, validated with real users
Developed with child psychologists and backed by more than a year of research. Every key element, from the badge mechanic to the wording aimed at children, was tested with children from the target group and their legal guardians.
Scope of work
- Product & gamification concept
- Game mechanics & progress
- Badge & reward system
- Animal hero concept & development
- Naming of characters & game elements
- UX & content structure
- Language & communication for children
- Parent communication layer
- Push notifications
- Email communication
- In-app stories
- Testing & iterations with the target group
- Adaptation to ČSOB's component & brand system
03Rollout
From research to production.
The solution took more than a year to build, and every important element was validated with the target group along the way.
- 01
Research
Understanding the needs of children, parents and the bank.
- 02
Concept
Designing the game principles, progress and structure.
- 03
Psychology
Consultations with child psychologists.
- 04
Testing
Validation with children and their legal guardians.
- 05
Iterations
Refining mechanics, names, characters and texts.
- July 2026
Production
Integration into ČSOB Smart's component and brand system, launched with Mastercard.
How it runs
Elevon worked with ČSOB across the full concept: badge content and naming, the gaming period structure, the activity and progress logic, and all parent and child communication. Every element was shaped around real constraints from the bank's product and brand, not an idealized plan.
The result is a complete, production-ready system. Children access Alfíci through a single entry point on the app home screen. Their everyday banking activity drives progress, and parents receive clear, controlled communication alongside it.
In practice
A child logs in and sees a badge to work toward. A card payment or pocket money arriving moves them forward. Completing a full category earns a bonus badge; collecting all the basics in a period unlocks a master badge and a reward. Each animal hero the child collects explains, in language they understand, why the habit matters, and parents get notified about progress, all inside the app they already use.
04Results
What we delivered.
ČSOB launched Alfíci into production with Mastercard as partner in July 2026.
- Developed with child psychologists and validated with target-group children and their legal guardians
- Complete badge system: four equal gaming periods, each with basic, bonus, and master badges
- Collectible animal heroes (Alfíci) that reward progress and explain why each money habit matters
- Child-accessible, gender-neutral naming with no banking jargon
- Activity-driven logic linking a child's actions to parent communication
- Communication suite delivered: emails, push notifications, in-app stories, and parent-facing prompts
- Production landing page built on ČSOB's own component and brand system
Why it worked
Most financial literacy initiatives for children fail at the same point: they ask the child to go somewhere new. A separate app, a separate moment, a separate motivation. Attention does not survive the detour.
Alfíci worked because it removed the detour. Learning happens where the money behavior already happens, inside the banking app the family already opens. The child does not switch context to learn. The activity is the lesson.
The collaboration
- ČSOBContext & product
Children's accounts and cards in ČSOB Smart, plus long-term financial-literacy work (ČSOB do škol, Penězověda).
- Elevon.ioConcept, gamification & communication
The game concept and mechanics, the badge system, the animal heroes and the full child and parent communication.
- MastercardFinancial-education partner
A partner that supports children's financial literacy over the long term.
Official source:ČSOB press release
Elevon
“In the world of finance, we love connecting human needs and emotions with innovation and technology. Being able to bring children a piece of financial education in a playful form, together with ČSOB and Mastercard, is an amazing experience, and the result is the playful Alfíci.”
“When we designed Alfíci, we wanted an environment where children discover the world of finance naturally, playfully and with joy. We designed every detail so children immediately understand their progress and build a healthy relationship with money.”
Lída Stanko · Head of Digital Design, ČSOB “Financial literacy is an increasingly important prerequisite for safe functioning in the digital economy. Alfíci show that learning about money does not have to be complicated or boring, it can be a natural part of everyday life.”
Jana Lvová · Generální ředitelka, Mastercard ČR/SR
Next step
Want your product to change behaviour?
As with Alfíci for ČSOB, we design an experience inside your existing product that engages people and builds a habit.