Great Southern Bank has announced a partnership with Greenlight Financial Technology, Inc. to better serve its families and help the next generation build healthy financial futures.
As of Wednesday, April 1, customers across Great Southern’s multi-state footprint were provided free access to Greenlight’s award-winning family finance app through the Greenlight for Banks program.
Headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, Great Southern operates 88 retail banking centers across several states including three Quad Cities branch locations, two in Davenport and one in Bettendorf. The bank operates in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Arkansas and Nebraska.
According to Great Southern, the need for accessible financial education has never been greater. A survey, conducted by Researchscape for Great Southern in 2024, showed 91% of kids and teens believe they need financial knowledge and skills to achieve their life goals, and 94% of parents agree.
Yet teens score an average of 64% on the National Financial Literacy Test, revealing a significant gap between ambition and preparation. Parents rank personal finance as the No. 1 most difficult life skill to teach their children, with 81% saying they wish they had more tools and resources to help.
“As a community bank, we’re invested in our customers’ futures — and that includes their kids. We know parents want to teach their children good money habits, but it’s not always easy to know where to start,” Laura Smith, Great Southern’s chief retail banking officer, said in a recent news release. “Greenlight gives families a real, hands-on way to do that together, and we’re proud to make it available to our customers at no cost. If we can help a child in our community grow up feeling confident about money, that’s a win for all of us.”
7M+ already using Greenlight
Greenlight offers a debit card and app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, give, and spend wisely — all with parental oversight. With the app, parents can quickly send money, automate allowance payments, manage chores, set flexible spending controls, and receive real-time notifications of all transactions.
Kids gain hands-on money management experience alongside access to Greenlight Level Up, an in-app financial literacy game featuring a best-in-class curriculum, educational challenges, and rewards.
More than 7 million parents and kids already use Greenlight to manage money together. Greenlight has been named the top debit card for kids and teens by the Wall Street Journal and is trusted by families nationwide.
Great Southern customers can receive a free Greenlight subscription by visiting greenlight.com/greatsouthern and connecting their Great Southern account as a funding source. Customers who already have an existing Greenlight account also can transition to the Great Southern partnership program by adding their Great Southern account as a funding source and contacting Greenlight customer service.
