Written by DataEQ Insights Manager, Edzani Phiri
In financial services, trust is built through repeated, everyday interactions. As banking becomes more digital and customer expectations continue to evolve, people increasingly judge their banks on whether services work consistently, issues are resolved fairly, and support is accessible when needed.
In the 2025 South African Banking Index, an analysis of approximately 4 million online posts examined how customers experienced their banks and what they chose to share publicly about those experiences. One of the key things that stood out was how trust was expressed, often not as a stated attitude or belief, but through experiences shaped by day-to-day banking friction.
A key pattern that emerged was the recurrence of similar trust-related conversations linked to service challenges, access disruptions, reliability concerns, fairness questions, and security incidents across platforms and banks. These patterns suggested that trust was shaped cumulatively, as repeated experiences informed how customers interpreted banking behaviour and institutional responsiveness. Rather than isolated incidents, recurring friction formed expectations about how systems operated and how issues were handled. Trust, as reflected in public conversation, was therefore strengthened or weakened through consistency across interactions. A practical trust framework helps banks make sense of how these repeated interactions collectively shape customer perceptions of conduct, decision-making, and service delivery.
Banks operate in a fast-moving environment where customer needs, service journeys, and regulatory expectations are increasingly interconnected. A trust framework provides a structured way to understand:
With the FSCA’s continued focus on outcomes-based mandates, along with growing interest from other global regulators, banks have an opportunity to use public feedback as an early indicator of where service, fairness, or communication issues may benefit from additional attention.
Trust is built and reinforced over time. In the 2025 South African Banking Sentiment Index, DataEQ framed trust across five key pillars, namely: Security, Access, Fairness & Transparency, Reliability, and Service & Customer Care, where consumer experience was generally negative.
Service & Customer Care (Net Sentiment – 36%)
Service and customer care generated a high volume of conversation, much of it centred around resolution delays, branch queues, accessibility of support, and conflicting information. These interactions influenced how customers assess whether their bank is responsive and attentive.
Reliability (Net Sentiment – 86%)
Payment delays, app downtime, transaction failures, and verification issues shaped perceptions of dependability. Because many customers rely heavily on digital channels, moments of unavailability can create heightened frustration.
Access (Net Sentiment – 78%)
Access reflects both affordability and ease of using banking services. While competitive pricing strengthened perceptions for some, outages and system disruptions often overshadowed these benefits.
Fairness & Transparency (Net Sentiment – 88%)
Discussions about fees, disclosure, debit orders, and dispute handling influenced views of fairness. Customer feedback showed that clear, consistent information remains central to how fairness is interpreted across banking interactions.
Security (Net Sentiment – 85%)
Fraud, unauthorised transactions, and security-related disputes generated lower volume but carried strong negative sentiment. These experiences shaped how safe customers feel in digital environments.
Human interaction as a stabilising influence
References to staff conduct and competence emerged as a stabilising trust signal. Positive mentions related to professionalism, empathy, clarity, and follow-through from frontline staff, particularly in direct interactions. These moments mattered because they personalised the experience and helped offset stress when customers encountered difficulties. The Index did not suggest that human interaction replaced the need for reliable systems, but it showed that frontline engagement played an important role in shaping perceptions of accountability and care.
Trust as experience, not declaration
Perhaps most notably, the Index showed that trust was rarely articulated explicitly. Customers rarely stated whether they trusted a bank; they described outcomes, treatment, and communication. Through these narratives, trust was inferred rather than declared. As such, public platforms like social media became spaces where customers documented and interpreted their experiences, revealing how trust was formed, tested, and reshaped in practice.
While social data does not always capture the full customer journey or internal bank processes, it provides valuable context around how customers experience and describe trust-related moments. A trust framework helps translate this context into clearer discussion points for internal teams, enabling banks to reflect on how service delivery, communication, and support are perceived during moments that matter to customers.
Treat reliability as a strategic service metric
Clear communication, faster recovery processes, and predictable alternative channels help to maintain customer confidence during disruptions.
Enhance transparency across the customer journey
Upfront clarity around fees, decisions, and dispute pathways reduces uncertainty and builds perceived fairness.
Integrate digital and human support more seamlessly
Digital tools become more empowering when customers can escalate quickly to informed, empathetic help when needed.
Use public feedback to identify early conduct risks
Customer sentiment data often highlights emerging issues before they escalate, supporting proactive governance.
Trust in South African banking is reinforced, or eroded, through daily operational and service interactions. A clear trust framework gives banks visibility into where customers feel supported, where friction exists, and where targeted intervention will deliver the greatest impact.
By integrating the trust pillars of Security, Access, Fairness & Transparency, Reliability, and Service & Customer Care more closely into service design, banks can reinforce long-term confidence in a way that is both customer-centric and responsive to a changing regulatory landscape.