Mobile Banking and Customer Financial Behaviour: Case of Equity Bank in Othaya

Abstract

Mobile banking which is provision of banking services using handheld devices such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants, has continued to prove its potential in provision of flexible financial services to both banked and unbanked people. Although mobile banking has been adopted widely the needs, barriers and opportunities to enhance financial empowerment through leveraging mobile banking platforms in linkage to customer financial behavior in the banking sector has not received adequate examination. The study purposes to break through such gap. It adopted these objectives: to determine drivers for mobile banking adoption by Equity bank customers, to establish the extent of utilizing the mobile banking by users, to establish the challenges faced by Equity bank customers’ in adoption of mobile banking and to show the relationship between mobile banking and customer financial behavior among Equity bank customers in othaya. A descriptive study was undertaken in which the population of the study were customers from Equity bank in Othaya branch. The study used a sample size of 190 Equity bank Othaya account holders using m-banking. A structured questionnaire was administered on these respondents during the period of August to September 2016 and the data gathered dissected by use of means and standard deviation. The data was analyzed using SPSS (version 24) and then laid down in form of tables, pie charts and graphs. The study established that the use of mobile banking provided easy access to banking account information, mobile bank brockerage and mobile banking accounting which cut across daily customer financial behavior. Majority prefer mobile banking for its convenience in conducting banking transactions. More preference for use was given to utility bills settlement. Further findings revealed that mobile banking transactions were limited by relative increase of transaction costs and network failure. Since service delivery via mobile banking in consideration to customer financial behavior has not been fully utilized, the study recommends elevation of level of awareness and leveraging of m-banking platforms in reflex to customer needs to climax usage of banking services for growth and sustaining of customers.