Impact of information and communication technology on modern banking operations in Nigeria

INTRODUCTION

The evolution of E-banking dates back to 1986 when the banking sector in Nigeria was deregulated (stamolilis, 2001). The result of this deregulation brought far-reaching transformation through computerization and improved bank service delivery. Competition with new products became keen within the system while customer sophistication posed a challenge for them, hence the reengineering of processing techniques of business activities encourage the automation of financial services especially among new generation of commercial and merchant banks.

In effect, the emergence of a crop of new generation banks following the liberalization of the bank licensing motivated the introduction of high technology in the Nigeria banking system.

These new banks discovered that the evolving technology at the global level could be applied to greater advantage in the Nigerian Financial Landscape (L.O. Ugwu Etal 2000). That indeed paid off for some of them as customers, who ordinarily would have found it almost impossible to leave the banks they were already familiar with for a new one that way yet to find feet, quickly noticed the difference in the available products and service delivery systems of the two categories of banks (old and new generation). The customer without hesitation opted to pay for the extra values that would satisfy the extra-personalize product services and the attendant personalized marketing.

Information and communication technology has become global tool for banking industry to reach global markets. The use of information and communication technology in banks has become a global phenomenon and every bank must be ICT compliance in other to survive in global competitive environment. The introduction of information and communication technology has change manual and traditional forms of doing business and it is being replaced by the sophisticated technology that is based on automation and interconnection of computer and other electronic devices. For instance ledger books, paper invoice, printed materials and business trips are being replaced with online billing and payments, elaborate website with product information and real-time zones (Ojokuku and Sajuyigbe, 2012). Ovia (2001) said that the banking industry has moved into an era of menu-driven ultra-robust specialized software programme called banking application and these applications can carry out virtually all banking functions relying heavily on information collection, storage, transfer and processing. Woherem and Adeogri (2000) claimed that only banks that over have the whole of their payment and delivery systems and apply information communication technology (ICT) to their operations are likely to survive and prosper in the new millennium. He advices banks to re-examine their service and delivery systems in order to properly position them within the framework of the dictates of the dynamism of information and communication technology. Abubakar and Rasmarini (2012) observed that information and communication technology has become the heart of banking sector, which is the heart of every robust economy. The advancement in technology has played and important role in improving services delivery standards in the banking industry. In its simplest form, Automated Teller machines (ATMs) and deposit machines now allows consumer carry out banking transaction beyond banking hours. With online banking individuals can check their account balances and make payments without having to go to the bank hall. This is gradually creating a cashless society where consumers no longer have to pay for all their purchases with hard cash (Josiah and Nancy, 2012).

The bank reforms in Nigeria are pursued with a view to make the sector realize its objectives in advancing the economy (CBN 2006) as cited in Osabuohien, (2008). It is expected that the impact of these reforms will be enhanced with the use of information and communication technology (ICT) because it will create some form of competitive advantage and improved banking services through accuracy and efficiency in their transaction.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Businesses need to continuously find better and fast ways to adapt to the competitive market place in order to compete in today’s high technology and fast pace environment. Learning organizations provide a framework that encourages finding better and fast ways to adapt in today’s high technology and fast paced world by:

i. Looking at the whole pants, a systematic perspective.

ii. Detecting and correcting errors.

iii. Improving actions through knowledge, and

iv.  Developing the broad skills of their work force.

These days’ computers and information processing are everywhere. Computers influence what decisions made, when decisions are made, what information is available at the point of decision and who is asked to decide. Computers and information processing affect how work is organized and how employees feel about work. Information and computer is pervasive. The essential element of management is information processing and thus information technology systems are expected to heavily influence management and business operation and as such the main trust of this research work is to investigate the extent of this influence with special focus on modern banking operations in Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The general purpose of this study is to examine the impact of information and communication on modern day’s banking in Nigeria.

Specifically, the study aims to:

i. Evaluate the impact of information and communication technology on the operation of modern days banking in Nigeria.

ii. Examine the effect of information communication technology on bank-customer relationship.

iii. Identify barriers to efficient information and communication technology system within a financial institution.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This research work shall be guided by the following research questions;

i. Does information communication technology contribute to the efficiency banks and bank-customers relationship in Nigeria.

ii. How does information communication technology impact on bank-customer relationship?

iii. What are the barriers to the adoption of information communication technology?