Feijoa users add NZD $4.5m to KiwiSaver through round-ups

Feijoa says its users are adding more than NZD $4.5 million a year to KiwiSaver accounts through round-up savings. After its first year of operation, the New Zealand fintech has more than 7,000 active users.

Launched in September 2025, Feijoa lets users round up everyday card spending to the nearest dollar and direct the difference into nominated KiwiSaver accounts. Based on current users, those annual contributions are projected to exceed NZD $200 million by the time they retire.

Feijoa's model is designed to turn small transactions such as coffee purchases, grocery spending and contactless card payments into regular retirement saving. The service works across all KiwiSaver schemes in New Zealand and connects to users' banks through open banking arrangements.

About a third of Feijoa's user base is self-employed New Zealanders, a segment that can be difficult to reach through payroll-linked retirement saving systems. The app is also being used by first-home buyers, families building retirement balances and grandparents directing round-ups into their grandchildren's KiwiSaver accounts.

In its first year, the business also raised NZD $925,000 from New Zealand investors. The funding will support product development and partnership efforts.

Behaviour and technology

Feijoa argues that automatic saving tools may help address a persistent challenge in retirement saving, particularly for people whose income or employment arrangements sit outside standard payroll systems.

"Until now, the default response to low saving has been to ask people to change their behaviour," said Mark White-Robinson, Feijoa's Co-founder.

"We think the more useful lever is technology that works with existing behaviour instead of against it," White-Robinson said.

That approach reflects a broader push in personal finance technology to embed saving into routine consumer activity rather than rely on deliberate transfers or fixed monthly contributions. In Feijoa's case, the mechanism is built around low-value increments generated by daily spending.

Feijoa's early partnerships include MAS, Koura and Mercer. The company says that these relationships show KiwiSaver providers are willing to offer round-up features to their members through existing channels.

User reach

For KiwiSaver providers, the appeal of this type of tool may lie in reaching groups that traditional workplace contribution models do not always serve well. Self-employed workers, in particular, often need to manage retirement saving without the automatic deductions salaried employees receive through payroll.

Feijoa says its first-year customer mix suggests there is demand for a more passive saving option. By tying contributions to spending behaviour, the app seeks to make retirement saving less dependent on active decision-making.

"Our results show that when saving happens in the background of everyday life, more people save, and they keep saving," White-Robinson said.

"That's the difference we set out to make, and we can't wait to build on this in the coming year," he said.

Feijoa is a New Zealand round-up app that helps KiwiSaver members build their savings by rounding everyday purchases up to the nearest dollar and investing the difference into nominated KiwiSaver accounts. The app works with all KiwiSaver schemes in New Zealand and connects to users' bank accounts through open banking, using regulated connection methods where available so users can authorise access directly with their bank rather than share login credentials.

Feijoa also plans to offer partner rewards and incentives to encourage regular saving. The company does not directly access KiwiSaver accounts, hold or manage funds, or provide financial advice. It is a registered financial services provider and a member of the Financial Disputes Resolution Service.