Journal of Finance and Investment Analysis, vol.1, no.

3, 2012, 99-118
ISSN: 2241-0988 (print version), 2241-0996 (online)
Scienpress Ltd, 2012

The Relationship between Electronic Banking and

Financial Performance among Commercial Banks
in Kenya
Josiah Aduda1 and Nancy Kingoo2

Abstract
Banking industry has been in a process of significant transformation. The force
behind this transformation of the banking industry is innovation in information
technologies. Information and communication technology is at the centre of this
global change curve of electronic banking system in Kenya today. It is against this
background, this study investigated the relationship between e-banking and
performance of Kenya banking system. Specifically, the study established whether
there is relationship between the dependent variable i.e., performance measured by
return on assets and the independent variables: investments in e-banking, number
of ATMS and number of debits cards issued to customers as proxy for e-banking.
The study used secondary data. The data was collected from annual report of
target banks and Central Bank of Kenya. The study used both descriptive and
inferential statistics in analyzing the data. In general the study revealed that
e-banking has strong and significance marginal effects on returns on asset in the
Kenyan banking industry. Thus, there exists positive relationship between
e-banking and bank performance. In general conclusion the electronic banking
has made banking transaction to be easier by bringing services closer to its
customers hence improving banking industry performance.

1
Department of Finance and Accounting, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya,
e-mail: jaduda@uonbi.ac.ke
2
Department of Finance and Accounting, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.

Article Info: Received : May 10, 2012. Revised : June 23, 2012
Published online : August 31, 2012
100 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

JEL classification numbers: G20

Keywords: e-Banking, Bank Performance, Commercial banks and Kenya

1 Introduction
Electronic banking is the use of electronic and telecommunication networks
to deliver a wide range of value added products and services to bank customers
(Steven, 2002). The use of information technology in banking operations is called
electronic banking. Ovia, (2001) argue that Electronic banking is a product of
e-commerce in the field of banking and financial services. In what can be describe
as Business-to-consumer (B2C) domain for balance enquiry, request for cheque
books, recording stop payment instruction, balance transfer instruction, account
opening and other forms of traditional banking services. Banks are also offering
payment services on behalf of their customer who shop in different e-shops.
The introduction of electronic banking has improved banking efficiency in
rendering services to customer. Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) is at the centre of electronic banking system in Kenya today (Steven, 2002).
Banking industry in Kenya cannot ignore information systems because they play a
critical impact in current banking system, they point out that the entire cash flow
of most banks are linked to information system.
The application of information and communication technology concepts,
techniques, policies and implementation strategies to banking services has become
a subject of fundamental importance and concerns to all banks and indeed a
prerequisite for local and global competitiveness banking (Connel and Saleh,
2004). The advancement in Technology has played an important role in
improving service delivery standards in the Banking industry. In its simplest form,
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and deposit machines now allow consumers
carry out banking transactions 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. Bank
customers can pay for airline tickets and subscribe to initial public offerings by
transferring the money directly from their accounts, or pay for various goods and
services by electronic transfers of credit to the sellers account.
As most people now own mobile phones, banks have also introduced mobile
banking to cater for customers who are always on the move. Mobile banking
allows individuals to check their account balances and make fund transfers using
their mobile phones. This was popularized by Safaricom through its “M-pesa”
money transfer product and customers can also recharge their mobile phones via
SMS. Since this innovation, banks has perfected by interlinking customers deposit
accounts with mobile money transfer. This e-banking has made banking
transactions easier around the World and it has fast gaining acceptance in Kenya.
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 101

Other delivery channels today in Kenya electronic banking are telephone

banking, smart cards, internet banking etc. Personal computers in the banking
industry were first introduced into Kenya by Barclays bank and since then internet
is increasingly used by Bank’s as a channel of delivering the products and services
to the numerous customers (Kariuki , 2005).
Electronic banking depends on providing customers, partners, and
employees with access to information, in a way that is controlled and secure
(Soludo, 2005). Technology must provide security to meet the challenges
encountered by E-Banking. Virtually all software and hardware vendors claim to
build secure products, but what assurance does an E-Banking have of a product’s
security? E-Banking want a clear answer to the conflicting security claims they
hear from vendors. How can you be confident about the security built into a
product? Independent security evaluations against internationally-established
security criteria provide assurance of vendors’ security claims. Customer
expectation, in terms of service delivery and other key factors have increased
dramatically in recent years, as a result of the promise and delivery of the internet.
Even after the “dot –com crash” these raised expectations linger.
An organization’s ability to perform financially is critical to its survival in
the short and in the long run. Tobin’s Q is widely used as a proxy for firm
performance (Gompers, Ishii and Metrick, 2003). Other researchers use earnings
quality, which is is a concept that is context-based and hence does not have a
single definition. Earnings quality can be viewed from a number of perspectives.
Schipper and Vincent, (2003) assess earnings quality from two perspectives. One
perspective is decision usefulness, where “because of its context specificity,
assessments of earnings quality from the perspective of decision usefulness
inevitably confront a myriad of users and uses…” The second perspective of
earnings quality used by Schipper and Vincent, (2003) is using the Hicksian
concept of income (Hicks, 1939), which the authors recognise is not capable of
empirical observation.
Despite the potential benefits of ICT and e-commerce, there is debate about
whether and how their adoption improves bank performance. Use of and
investment in ICT requires complementary investments in skills, organization and
innovation and investment and change entails risks and costs as well as bringing
potential benefits. There are positive impacts of e-banking on bank turnover and
profitability and to a lesser extent on employment, most notably when
e-commerce is part of larger business strategies of bank. The use of e-banking can
contribute to improved bank performance, in terms of increased market share,
expanded product range, customized products and better response to client
demand. E-banking continues to influence banks activities and their income
structure. Among the activities that may be subject to stronger pressures for
change are those that, up to today, have remained relatively insulated from ICT
developments. This applies mainly to some retail banking activities that are
suitable for standardization, and also to developments in remote banking (Kariuki,
2005).
102 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

In recent years, and taking advantage of new information technologies, two

groups of new payment methods, referred to generically as electronic
money (e-money), have been developed and introduced: smart cards and
software-based products to make payments over the Internet. Until now, the most
revolutionary systems of e-money are still at their infancy, and there is debate
concerning the degree of adoption that could take place in the coming years
(Soludo, 2005). In the meantime, we are witnessing the introduction of mixed
products that coexist with some incipient experiences of pure digital cash.
Pre-paid cards can serve as a payment mechanism by loading and storing
monetary value in the chip embedded in the card. The value loaded in the card can
later be used to pay for goods and services. The introduction of smart cards seeks
to replace cash in most of the small transactions for which hard cash is currently
used. The introduction of this new payment mechanism will go through different
stages. Initially, consumer habits must change. Once reasonable acceptance is
attained, point-of-sale terminals would spread rapidly.
Bhattacharya and Thakor (1993) contemporary banking theory suggest that
banks, together with other financial intermediaries, are essential in the allocation
of capital in the economy. A very powerful tool to explain how banks work is
provided by the literature on financial intermediation. This literature is centered on
information asymmetries, an assumption that “different economic agents possess
different pieces of information on relevant economic variables, and that agents
will use this information for their own profit” (Freixas and Rochet, 1998). The
presence of asymmetric information leads to adverse selection and moral hazard
problems. Adverse selection is an asymmetric information problem that takes
place before the transaction occurs on it is related to the lack of information about
the lenders’ characteristics. Moral hazard takes place after the transaction occurs.
It is related with incentives by the lenders to behave opportunistically.
According to Connel and Saleh (2004) three different parties are involved in
smart card schemes: consumers, businesses and issuers. Consumers: They may
adopt this new payment instrument because of its greater convenience. For the
instrument to gain acceptance, it should have some of the following
characteristics: anonymity, security (reliable authentication procedures, or
solutions to compensate users in case of loss, theft or malfunction),
liquidity (subject to wide acceptability), low transaction costs (from paper
handling and clearing), speed (time saving in transactions, faster balance
updating). Businesses: Suppliers of goods and services could benefit from the use
of pre-paid cards because of lower costs of handling cash and no interest lost on
cash holdings. Also, substantial savings result from the transition of credit card to
smart card payments: while credit cards require connection to a remote machine
each time a payment is made, with smart cards all payments are processed jointly
at the end of the business day. Card issuers: Both consumers and merchants will
be willing to pay for smart cards because of its many conveniences. Until the
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 103

competitive pressure reduces the extra profits, smart cards can be a good
business to entrepreneurs introducing new schemes.

1.1 Problem of Research

The vast majority of the recent literature on electronic money and banking
suffers from a narrow focus. It generally ignores electronic banking entirely and
equates electronic money with the substitution of currency through electronic
gadget such as smart cards and virtual currency. For example, Freedman, (2000)
proposes that electronic banking and electronic money consist of three devices;
access devices, stored value cards, and network money. Electronic banking is
simply the use of new access devices and is therefore ignored. Electronic money
then is the sum of stored value (smart) cards and network money (value stored on
computer hard drives). What is most fascinating and revealing about this
apparently popular view is that electronic banking and electronic money are no
longer functions or processes, but devices.
Within this rather narrow scope for electronic banking and electronic money,
there are nonetheless many research that address one or more of the challenges
facing it. Santomero and Seater (1996), Prinz (1999), and Shy and Tarkka (2002),
and many others present models that identify conditions under which alternative
electronic payments substitute for currency. Most of these models indicate that
there is at least the possibility for electronic substitutes for currency to emerge and
flourish on a large scale, depending on the characteristic of the various
technologies as well as the characteristics of the potential users.
Berentsen (1998) considers the impact that the substitution of smart cards for
currency will have on monetary policy, arguing that although electronic
substitutes for currency will become widespread, monetary policy will continue to
work as before because this currency substitution will leave the demand for central
Bank reserves largely intact. Goodhart (2000) discusses how monetary control
would work in an economy in which Central Bank currency has been partially or
completely replaced by electronic substitutes.
Friedman (1999) point out that electronic banking presents the possibility
that an entire alternative payment system, not under the control of the Central
Bank may arise. In an extreme variant of Friedman, King (1999) argues that today
computers make it at least possible to bypass the payment system altogether,
instead using direct bilateral clearing and settlement; the responses to Friedman.
Among the functions performed by banks is the provision of a payments
system, the method of conducting transactions in the economy. The payments
system is centered on banks and, currently, the banking system intervenes, directly
or indirectly, in practically all payments, both domestic and international.
Although electronic means of payments have been around for many
years, continuing ICT developments mean that, increasingly, hard currency is
being substituted by accounting entries that are later settled among institutions. In
104 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

this manner, cash remains the preferred means of payment for transactions
involving increasingly smaller amounts. This is a consequence of a reduction in
the transaction costs of paying by electronic means (credit cards, electronic purses,
etc.), which result in more efficient payment systems. Besides a contribution to
the efficiency of the payments system, ICT developments have also implications
on liquidity. As a matter of fact, the provision of a payments system originates
from the function of banks as providers of liquidity. Banks and depository
institutions more generally, can be seen as “pools of liquidity” that provide
customers with insurance against liquidity shocks (Diamond and Dybvig, 1983).
Electronic banking’ greatest promise is timelier, more valuable information
accessible to more people, at reduced cost of information access. With the changes
in business operations as a result of the Internet era, security concerns move from
computer labs to the front page of newspapers. The promise of e-banking is offset
by the security challenges associated with the disintermediation of data access.
According to Soludo, (2005) one security challenge results from “cutting out the
middleman,” that too often cuts out the information security the middleman
provides. Another is the expansion of the user community from a small group of
known, vetted users accessing data from the intranet, to thousands of users
accessing data from the Internet. Application service providers (ASP) and
exchanges offer especially stringent and sometimes contradictory requirements of
per user and per customer security, while allowing secure data sharing among
communities of interest.
Kenya banking sector has witnessed many changes since the beginning
e-banking. Today, customers of banks have efficient, fast and convenient banking
services. In line with rendering qualities and acceptable services, most banks in
Kenya are investing large sum of money in information and communication
Technology. While the rapid development of information technology has made
some banking tasks more efficient and cheaper, technological investments are
taking a larger share of bank’s resources. Currently, apart from personnel costs,
technology is usually the biggest item in the budget of a bank, and the fastest
growing one. Another problem associated with this financial innovation plastic
card fraud, particularly on lost and stolen cards and counterfeit card fraud. Banks
need to manage costs and risks associated with electronic banking.
It is therefore important that e-banking innovations are made by sound
analysis of risks and costs associated so that to avoid harms on the bank
performance. On one hand the bank performance is directly related to efficiency
and effectiveness of electronic banking, but on the other tight controls and
standards are needed to prevent losses associated with electronic banking. The
banks have to balance these two options in order not to impair its overall
prosperity. This is only possible if overall effects of electronic banking on the
banks and its customers are understood.
Despite the potential benefits of ICT and e-commerce, there is debate about
whether and how their adoption improves bank performance. Several attempts
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 105

have been made to investigate the impact of electronic banking on bank

performance. Studies by Kariuki (2005) showed the positive impacts of ICT on
their banking performance using bank turnover and profits as measure of
performance. He established that banks those with high profit growth are more
likely to be using greater numbers of advanced ICTs. He concluded that e-banking
leads to higher profits though in long-term but not in short-term due to high ICT
investment cost. All this studies used profit and turnover as measures of bank
performance. While Davenport (2003) and Oshikoya (2007) and Jean-Azam
(2006) suggest that use of and investment in ICT requires complementary
investments in skills, organization and innovation and investment and change
entails risks and costs which might reduce bank profits in shorter. Hence there is
need to use some of relative measure such as return on assets to uncover the
impact of ICT investment on banking performance. This was gap being addressed
in this study.

1.2 Research Focus

Existing studies has looked the ICT and financial system holistically
specifically looking on E-banking. The vast majority of the recent literature on
electronic money and banking suffers from a general focus. It generally ignores
electronic banking entirely and equates electronic money with the substitution of
currency through electronic gadget such as smart cards and virtual currency. For
example, Freedman (2000) proposes that electronic banking and electronic money
consist of three devices; access devices, stored value cards, and network money.
Electronic banking is simply the use of new access devices and is therefore
ignored. This has prompted a fresh look on this subject.
E-banking has produced changes in the structure of bank income. As a result
of increased competition that has lowered margins in lending
operations (the banks' traditional business) banks have diversified their sources
of income and rely increasingly on income from fees services rather than interest
rate spreads. Fees charged for services include typical banking activities like
payment transactions, safe custody and account administration (Hallam-Baker,
(1996). These activities are, in general, less volatile than fees and commissions
charged on activities which are affected by economic and cyclical developments
(e.g. underwriting activities, brokerage services, treasury management,
transactions on derivatives, private banking, credit card business). This change is
also reflected in the increasing size of off-balance sheet items in the banks'
financial accounts.
Technology allows these same products -for example a loan to a company-
to be traded in capital markets (securitization) instead of remaining in the bank's
balance sheet. Another result of the new environment has been the process of
disintermediation. This process has various dimensions. By disintermediation we
normally refer to banks losing share of financial intermediation to institutional
106 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

investors (investment funds, insurance companies and pension funds). This is true
for both bank assets and liabilities, although it is in the collection of savings where
this process has been the most pronounced with mutual funds, pension funds and
life-insurance policies capturing funds at the expense of bank deposits. At the core
of the European universal banking industry is the payments system, and the core
of the payments system is the demand deposit (checking or current deposit
account) (Boot et al, 1991). Demand deposits are characterized by their liquidity
feature, which gives customers the possibility of withdrawing funds when needed.
Banks have various means to charge for the provision of liquidity. They can do so
through charging customers directly (management fees, or low interest paid on
funds) or indirectly. This latter will occur when deposits serve as a means of
selling other bank products, or because deposits can be seen as inputs to the
production of other services.
Some implications of these trends for relationship banking can be found, for
instance, in Berlin and Mester (1998). They suggest a complementarity between
deposit taking and lending in the sense that rate-insensitive core deposits allow for
inter-temporal smoothing in lending rates. If this were the case, increased
competition on deposits would threaten the viability of relationship lending.
Another instance of possible implications for relationship banking refers to lower
switching costs and duration, and is studied for instance in the loan commitment
literature where it is emphasized the importance of inter-temporal tax-subsidy
schemes in pricing to resolve moral hazard as well as the complementarily
between deposit taking and commitment lending (Kashyap et al., 1999).
Despite the potential benefits of ICT and e-commerce, there is debate about
whether and how their adoption improves bank performance. Use of and
investment in ICT requires complementary investments in skills, organization and
innovation and investment and change entails risks and costs as well as bringing
potential benefits. The impact of ICTs and e-business strategies on bank
performance are positive overall, but that ICTs are not a panacea in themselves.
This study showed the positive impacts of e-banking on their turnover and
profitability and to a lesser extent on employment, most notably when
e-commerce is part of larger business strategies of bank. Further (Kariuki , 2005)
provides evidence that the use of e-banking can contribute to improved bank
performance, in terms of increased market share, expanded product range,
customized products and better response to client demand.
It is against this background, this study investigated how difference
electronic channels enhance the delivery of consumers and retails products, and
also how banks choose to support their electronic banking component/services
internally, such as internet services provider, internet banking software, core
banking vendor, managed security service provider, bill payment provider, credit
business and credit scoring company, which e-Banking systems rely on. This
research concentrates on the effects of e-banking on the banking sector. The aim
was to identify and understand the changes that e-banking causing on the banking
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 107

sector, in order to examine in detail how the recent (and foreseeable) advances in
ICT are affecting the sector and can affect its future evolution. As ICT are having
a strong influence on the evolution of the banking, the study investigate influence
e-banking has on the banking sector and the payments system. Therefore, the
purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between e-banking and
bank performance, specifically among the commercial banks in Kenya.

2 Methodology of Research
2.1 General Background of Research
This is causal study. A casual study involves an investigation of what causes
the other among different variables. Causality approach to this study is most
preferred because the study will be investigating whether investment in e-banking
by banks causes increase or decrease in banking profits. This study adopted both
descriptive and explanatory research design. First, the study described the trend of
bank performance, adoption, use and investment of ICT in banking sector.
Second, the explanatory approach was used investigate existing relationship
between bank performance and e-banking, and carefully tests causal research
objective of the study (Chandran, 2004).

2.2 Sample of Research

Cooper and Emory (1995) define population as the total collection of
elements about which the researcher wishes to make some inferences. Element is
the subject on which the measurement is being taken and is the unit of study,
according to Cooper and Emory (1995). The population of interest in this study
consisted of all 43 commercial banks operating in Kenya. In pursuance of the
objective of the study; attention focused on all commercial banks. The managers
of ICT department, card centre and operations at head office of these banks were
target respondents. There was no need to sample since the study population is
few (43 banks). However, only 27 commercial banks responded to our data
request. Therefore, only 27 commercial banks were studied; 63% of the target
population.

2.3 Instrument and Procedures

The study used secondary data. A secondary data collection framework
was developed and sent to the operation managers of commercial banks. The
instrument was considered appropriate for the study because all the respondents
are literate. It is also less costly in terms of time, and it is more flexible for busy
108 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

respondents. Respondent were assured that information collected is meant for

academic purposes only. Data collected from banks were complemented by
secondary data from annual report of target banks and Central Bank of Kenya
annual report. The data covered the period 2006 to 2010.
The research values of voluntary participation, anonymity, and protection
of the respondents from any possible harm was upheld during the study. As a
matter of fact, 1) the researcher ensured that the respondents participate
voluntarily in the study. Therefore the study was conducted in a manner that does
not significantly disrupt their daily routine. For instance, appointments and call
backs whenever inevitable were made assure respondents that data that was
collected were used for academic purposes only and that is treated with strict
confidentiality.
A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the validity and reliability of the
research instrument. The purpose of pre-testing was to assess the clarity of the
items on the instrument so that those items found to be inadequate in measuring
the variables could either be discarded or modified to improve the quality of the
research instrument. During the pre-test study, the researcher discussed each item
on the questionnaire with the respondent to determine its suitability, clarity and
relevance for the purpose of the study. Modifications where found necessary were
made on the instrument before it is finally used to collect data for the study.
Reliability of the data was assured since the study relied on published data from
central bank and commercial banks annual reports.

2.4 Data Analysis

The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing the
data. Analysis was done with the help of Statistical package for social scientists
(SPSS version 14). First, data collected was cleaned, sorted and collated. Then,
data will be entered into the computer, after which analysis was done. Descriptive
statistics such mean score, frequencies and percentages for each variable were
calculated and tabulated using frequency distribution tables, or pie charts and/or
bar charts. In order to test the relationship between the variables the inferential
tests including the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and
regression analysis were used.
First, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient as measures of
association was used examines the relationship between the electronic banking
and performance. The relations was explored with the use of Pearson‘s correlation
coefficient. Pearson‘s correlation coefficient calculates a relationship between two
variables. Correlation co-efficient is definition as a measure of the strength of
linear association between two variables. Correlation is always between -1.0 and
+1.0. If the correlation is positive, we have a positive relationship. If it is negative,
the relationship is negative.
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 109

Second, regression analysis was used to analysis the impact of electronic

banking on bank performance. The study used regression specification. Given the
five -year panel structure of the sample data to be gathered, regression analysis
was conducted to investigate the relationship between electronic banking on bank
performance. The regression model that was evaluated is represented as follows:
PERFit  1 EBit   2CDSit  3 ATMS (1)
Equation 1 defines the regression equation to be used in this study, where
PERF is financial performance represented by return on assets,
EB is the variable investment in electronic banking measured in Kshs,
CDS is the variable number of debit/cards issued by banks, and ATMS is the
variable depicting the number of ATMS systems install by the banks; and
 j , j  1, 2,3 are the slope coefficients whose sign depict the relationship
between return on assets as a measure of bank and electronic banking proxied
by investment in electronic banking measured in Kshs, number of debit/cards
issued by banks, and number of ATMS systems installed by the banks. A
negative/positive relationship is expected between electronic banking proxy
measures and bank performance proxy.

Table 1: Expected relationship between electronic banking proxy measures and

return on assets as measure of bank performance
Expected Variable Symbol Measurement
Sign
+ CDS Number of debit/cards issued by banks
+ ATMS Number of ATMS systems install by the
banks
+ or - EB Investment in electronic banking measured
in Kshs

3 Results of Research
The study sought to establish whether there exist a relationship between the
banking performance and e-banking in Kenyan banking industry. Bank
performance was measured by return on asset while e-banking was measured by
expenditure on ICT investments (e-banking) (In millions Kshs), number of debits
cards issued to customers and number of ATMs installed by the Bank. The
researcher calculated return on assets by dividing banks’ net profit after taxation
by the total assets held by the bank over the study period. The following section
110 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

presents the descriptive statistics for all the variables used. Table 4.1 reveals that
all the variables were on upward trend over the study period: 2006 and 2010.

Table 2: Presentation of Statistics of Variables Used

Total Profit Expenditure No. of No. of Return
Year assets of after tax on ICT ATMs debits cards on
the bank (in investments Installed issued to Assets
(In Million million (e-banking) by the Bank customers
Kshs) Kshs) (In
millions Kshs)
2006 52410.07 957.53 185.84 85 1154829 0.018
2007 62009.22 1038.79 202.90 95 1286494 0.017
2008 82317.77 1459.17 276.66 101 1364638 0.018
2009 96113.22 1811.15 344.63 107 1447414 0.019
2010 121662.28 2390.15 445.39 115 1553999 0.020
Mean 82902.51 1531.36 291.08 100.35 1361474.70 0.02
Max 121662.28 2390.15 445.39 114.54 1553998.52 0.02
Source: Research Data

Bank performance was measured by return on assets. The researcher

calculated return on assets by dividing banks’ net profit after taxation by the total
assets held by the bank over the study period. From the research data, returns on
assets of commercial banks declined from 2006 to 2007 before increasing steadily
from 2007 to 2010. This study uses the number of ATMS installed by commercial
banks as a measure of e-Banking. Number of ATMS installed indicates financial
innovation within the banking sector. The findings show that Number of ATMS
has been increasing steadily since 2005, and hence contributing to development of
the banking industry as it improve financial liquidity to the population. Number of
debit cards issued to customers by commercial banks was used to a measure of
e-Banking. The variable explains the level of transactions with banking sector. It
was established that from 2006 to 2010, the debit cards issuance were in upward
trend.

3.1 Profit after Tax and Expenditure on e-Banking Investments

The finding of this analysis reveals that both commercial banks’ profit
after tax and expenditure on e-banking investments rose steadily throughout the
five year period under consideration: 2006 to 2010.
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 111

Source: Research Data

Figure 1: Graphing profit after tax and Expenditure on e-banking
Investments (Amount in Kshs Millions)

To empirically determine the relationship between cost of good

governance and performance of firms under review, first was correlation matrix
and then regression analyses were used. The following sub-section outlines the
results of the data analysis.

3.2 The Relationship between Bank Performance and e-Banking

Pearson correlation is used to evaluate the relationship between the
variables. The correlation matrix is an important indicator that tests the linear
relationship, between the variables. The matrix also helps to determine the
strength of the variables in the model, that is, which variable best explains the
relationship between bank performance and e-banking. This is important and helps
in deciding which variable(s) to drop from the equation. Table 4.2 presents the
correlation matrix of the variables in levels. The table shows that there is positive
correlation between return on asset and expenditure on ICT investments
(e-banking) (In millions Kshs) and number of debits cards issued to customers.
However, return on asset is negatively related to No. of ATMs installed by
the Bank, though the strength of relationship is low at -.017. The Pearson
correlation coefficient between return on asset and expenditure on ICT
investments (e-banking) (In millions Kshs) and number of debits cards issued to
customers is 0.631 and 0.715 respectively. These correlation coefficients indicate
strong power of the relationships between the associated variables and return on
assets.
112 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

Table 3: Pearson correlation co-efficient between variables

Return Expenditure on ICT No. of No. of debits cards

on investments ATMs issued to customers
Assets (e-banking) Installed
Return on Assets 1
Expenditure on ICT
investments .631 1
(e-banking)
No. of ATMs
-.017 .903(*) 1
Installed
No. of debits cards
.715 .137 .349 1
issued to customers
* Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed)

The findings in table 3 indicate that bank performance is determined by

e-banking proxied by expenditure on ICT investments (e-banking) (In millions
Kshs) and number of debits cards issued to customers.
In order to establish the relationships and effects of e-banking on bank
performance regression analysis was conducted. Investments in e-banking,
number of ATMS and number of debits cards issued to customers were used as
proxy for e-banking and returns on assets were used as proxy for bank
performance.
Table 4 below summarizes regression results. As indicated in the
regression statistics R-squared was 0.724. This means that 72% variations from
the expected and actual output (dependent variable: bank performance) are
explained by the independent variable (e-banking). These indicate good fit of the
regression equation used. Thus, this is a good reflection of the true position that
bank performance can be explained by investments in e-banking, number of
ATMS and number of debits cards issued to customers all used as proxy for
e-banking. Analysis of Variance shows that f-calculated is greater that f – critical
(2.577>0.228). This implies that the regression equation was well specified.
Co-efficient of the regression shows that there is relationship between
performance of the bank and e-banking.
Estimated Equation:
Return on Assets = 3.336 + 4.209 * Investments in e-banking
+ 1.435* Number of debits cards issued to customers

Table 4 above represents the regression results for the existence of a short
run relationship among the variables. The results shows that the coefficients of
expenditure on ICT investments (e-banking) (In millions Kshs) and number of
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 113

ATMS and number of debits cards issued to customers have the correct sign and
are statically significance. This implies that these variables have a positive
relationship and effects with/on the bank performance. However, the variables
number of ATMs installed by the bank has no relationship with bank performance
since the coefficients are statically insignificance.

Table 4: Summary of Regression Analysis Results

Regression Model Summary: Dependent variable Return on Assets
R Squared 0.7204
Adjusted R Squared 0.6409
Observations 5
ANOVA (Analysis of Variance)
Degree of Sum of
Mean Square
freedom Squares
Regression 4 3.299 1.099
Residual 1 1.281 0.426
Total 5 4.580
Calculated F 2.577
Significance F 0.2286
Output of Regression – Co-efficient
Predictor-Independent t
Variable Coefficients Standard Error -Statastics
(Constant) 3.336 1.154 2.891*
Expenditure on ICT investments
(e-banking) 1.935**
4.209 2.175
No. of ATMs Installed by the
Bank -5.313 -7.836 0.678
No. of debits cards issued to
customers 1.435 0.716 2.004*

Note: * significance at 1%, ** significance at 5%

4 Discussion
The result reveals that the coefficient of investments in e-banking
measured by expenditure on bank ICT investments (e-banking) (In millions Kshs)
has the correct sign and is significant. This indicate that investments in e-banking
has a positive relationship with bank performance at 1% level, which is in line
with theory as reflecting financial innovation in the banking development. An
114 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

increase in investment in e-banking by one Kenya shillings leads bank

profitability increment by Kenya shillings 4.209. This is expected. This shows that
ICT investment has had a strong influence on the structure and the activities of the
banking sector; this allows transactions to be conducted more efficiently,
technology allows banks to market their products more effectively. For example,
banks build up sophisticated databases containing information about their
consumers, and through data mining they are then able to target their commercial
efforts more precisely, knowing which range of products individual consumers
might be interested in buying. Technology also affects the very products that
banks sell. This has lead to increased bank income.
Again E-banking has produced changes in the structure of bank income.
As a result of increased competition that has lowered margins in
lending operations (the banks' traditional business) banks have diversified their
sources of income and rely increasingly on income from fees services rather than
interest rate spreads. Fees charged for services include typical banking activities
like payment transactions, safe custody and account administration. These
activities are, in general, less volatile than fees and commissions charged on
activities which are affected by economic and cyclical developments (e.g.
underwriting activities, brokerage services, treasury management,
transactions on derivatives, private banking, credit card business). This change is
also reflected in the increasing size of off-balance sheet items in the banks'
financial accounts.
In addition, there is a positive relationship between number of debits cards
issued to customers as proxy of e-banking and bank performance. 1% increase in
number of debits cards issued to customers by the banks leads to 1.435% increase
in the bank profitability. The introduction of cards has seen business increase their
businesses. There are three different parties are involved in smart card schemes:
consumers, businesses and issuers.
1) Consumers: They may adopt this new payment instrument because of its
greater convenience. For the instrument to gain acceptance, it should have some of
the following characteristics: anonymity, security (reliable authentication
procedures, or solutions to compensate users in case of loss, theft or malfunction),
liquidity (subject to wide acceptability), low transaction costs (from paper
handling and clearing), speed (time saving in transactions, faster balance
updating).
2) Businesses. Suppliers of goods and services could benefit from the use of
pre-paid cards because of lower costs of handling cash and no interest lost on cash
holdings. Also, substantial savings result from the transition of credit card to smart
card payments: while credit cards require connection to a remote machine each
time a payment is made, with smart cards all payments are processed jointly at the
end of the business day.
3) Card issuers. Both consumers and merchants will be willing to pay for smart
cards because of its many conveniences. Until the competitive pressure reduces
Josiah Aduda and Nancy Kingoo 115

the extra profits, smart cards can be a good business to entrepreneurs introducing
new schemes.

5 Conclusions
The result indicated that bank performance (measured by return on assets) are
explained by independent variable the e-banking measured by Investments in
e-banking and number of debits cards issued to customers. This indicates E
banking has strong and significance marginal effects on returns on asset in the
Kenyan banking industry. Thus, there exists positive relationship between
e-banking and bank performance. Based in the summary of the major findings
the following conclusions are drawn: the adoption of electronic banking has
enhanced Kenyan banking industry by making it more productive and effective;
Electronic Banking also has a strong positive relationship on the overall banking
performance by making workers performance more effective and efficiency; The
adoption of electronic banking has enhanced the fortune of the Kenyan
commercial banks. This is especially achieved through charges on the use of debit
cards and ATM withdrawal charges; the electronic banking has improved the bank
customer relationship by rendering effective services throughout the day and night
in every week. Customers can now have access to their account outside working
hours to make withdrawal to attend to their needs; the electronic banking guideline
introduced by CBK strongly helps in effective electronic banking system.
Withdrawal can be made anywhere at any time and using any bank ATM machine,
customer cannot withdrawal more than some certain amount to allowed other
customers have access to cash and money, can be transfer from one place to
another through electronic means.
In general conclusion the electronic banking has made banking transaction
to be easier by bringing services closer to its customers hence improving banking
industry performance.

6 Suggestions of Areas for Further Research

The study also reveals that there is evident that e-banking increases the bank
performance. In order to give the growing trends of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) which involves e-banking and e-commerce in
banks a vision in the right directions, the following strategies are recommended
for further follow up and implementation; The banks must be focused in terms of
their needs and using the right technology to achieve goals, rather, than acquiring
technology of internet banking because other banks have it. Government
participation in ensuring focused telecommunication industry must be visible to
reduce or remove avoidable costs of implementing e-commerce and internet
116 The Relationship Between Electronic Banking and Financial Performance

banking. Regulatory authorities like Central Bank of Kenya must stipulate

standards for the banks to follow to avoid making Kenya Banking Sector a
dumping ground for the outdated technological infrastructures. Training and
Manpower development is another major problem mitigating against the growth of
e-commerce in the country. Government must make right IT policy by ensuring
that Computer, Communication equipments and other IT infrastructures to a large
extent are manufactures in the country so that our people can acquire first hand
necessary skills. Government Policy that will guide against Money laundering,
fraud and Security risks posed by e-banking are inevitable. To counter the legal
threat and security posed to net banking and e-commerce, the necessary legal
codes backing the industry must be established; this will enhance the growth of
the industry.
This study was done only on the commercial banks in Kenya. The study can
also be extended to other financial markets such as capital and insurance
companies in order to understand the implication of ICT on the overall financial
markets in Kenya. Similar the studies can be done for other bank industry in other
countries. This study studied was confined to commercial banks yet the current
banking innovation such as electronic money is targeted to include the rural
marginalized mostly served by micro finance institution in the banking net. There
is need therefore to study to study adoption and use of ICT by Micro finance
institutions. There has been drive to use ICT avail financial service to rural areas.
However, the success of this drive is not yet known. Therefore, another study can
be carried to evaluate whether e-banking has helped to bring banking services
close to people especially in rural areas. There is need to identify and understand
the changes that ICT are causing on the banking sector and the payments systems,
in order to examine in detail how the recent (and foreseeable) advances in ICT are
affecting the sector and can affect
its future evolution. Therefore a study on the effects of ICT on the banking sector
and the payments system is recommended.

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