DataEQ has released its 2025 Botswana Banking Sentiment Index, based on an analysis of more than 151,000 online public mentions collected between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 across social media and other digital platforms. The findings provide a comprehensive view of consumer perceptions across nine major banks operating in Botswana.
“Botswana’s banking sector continues to perform well on the continental stage, ranking second among four major banking markets with an overall Net Sentiment of 21%,” said Liska Kloppers, Head of Growth in Africa at DataEQ. “Despite this impressive performance, customer frustrations around service, responsiveness, and digital reliability remain clear priorities to address.”
Top Two Banks: What Set Them Apart
FNB delivered one of the strongest performances in 2025, achieving the highest operational sentiment in the market. Its operational score of 48% was supported by strategic campaigns such as the Save and Win initiative and consistently positive feedback about its digital and frontline service experience.
FNB also earned a reputational sentiment of 26%, driven by strong brand engagement through the #LoveFNB campaign, national football sponsorships, and interactive customer activations.
Bank Gaborone matched FNB as a leading performer, achieving the highest reputational sentiment of all banks at 37%. This was driven by its sponsorship of Gaborone United Football Club, leadership announcements, and the revitalisation of key branches.
The bank also recorded a solid operational sentiment of 28%, supported by positive feedback on investment products such as Easy2Pay, reduced service charges, and accessible mobile banking.
Digital performance drives customer frustration
Digital reliability continues to be a core challenge for banks across Botswana. Customers frequently reported app crashes, failed transactions, login difficulties, and repeated downtime — especially around month-end. These issues accounted for nearly 60% of all risk-related mentions, reinforcing digital channels as a major pressure point.
Loans conversations drives purchase interest, but approval delays negatively impact sentiment
Loan and credit products were a major driver of positive conversation, with customers praising flexible and affordable borrowing structures across the industry.
However, Botswana Savings Bank received notable criticism due to prolonged delays in loan approvals and disbursements, which negatively impacted its overall sentiment.
Customer service a major pain point
Customer service remained the poorest-performing area across the industry, with sentiment at –73%. Customers frequently raised concerns about slow turnaround times, limited communication, and inconsistent service quality across multiple touchpoints.
Governance & Risk: Downtime Issues Dominate
Governance and risk-related conversation accounted for 17% of all industry mentions. Key drivers included ongoing downtime affecting digital channels, concerns about unexplained deductions, and frustration with repeated or delayed KYC processes, all of which contributed to customer frustration.
“Social data offers an unfiltered lens into how consumers truly feel about their banking experience,” said Tebogo Maluleke, Banking Analyst at DataEQ. “Unlike traditional feedback channels, online conversation shows us, in real time, what customers praise, what frustrates them, and where expectations are not being met. This level of transparency allows banks to understand the exact drivers of sentiment, whether positive or negative, and respond with far greater precision and impact.”
Access the full 2025 Botswana Banking Sentiment Index:
https://dataeq.com/resources/reports/botswana-banking-sentiment-index/