Technology innovation in the Nigerian banking system: prospects and challenges

Purpose The banking system in Nigeria is gradually moving away from transactions “across the counter” to the fingertips of the customers with the adoption of modern technology. However, every development comes with its “pros and cons” because as technology innovation has improved service delivery and profitability of banks in Nigeria, crimes are also at a high side. To activating the minds of bank operators about the importance of technology adoption and its shortcomings, this paper aims to examine the prospects and challenges of technology innovation in the Nigerian banking system. Design/methodology/approach Secondary data were retrieved from the annual reports of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) from 2013 to 2017 to know the interaction between e-banking platforms and performance of banks in Nigeria. The study administered a questionnaire to the bank customers in Lagos Island, Nigeria to understand their perception towards e-banking. This study is anchored on prospect theory to ascertain the risk orientation of the Nigerian banks regarding how they adopt technology and reasoned action theory to understand the intention of bank customers in using the opportunities of e-banking copiously. Findings The findings of this study reveal the migration from cheques to electronic related transactions. It further indicates a high rate of fraud committed through those channels. The analysis of primary data shows that innovation adoption, service quality, cybercrime have significant relationship with the competitiveness of banks, the intention of bank customers, and perception of customers towards online services. However, the rate of frauds does not have significant relationship with the usage of mobile banking products which further studies can critically examine. Originality/value This study has revealed available huge potentials in the e-banking that are yet to be used in Nigeria. However, consumer orientation needs to be worked on, because, customers still have the fear that cybercrime is mostly committed via e-banking platforms. Unlike in developed countries whereby quite good numbers of customers make use of e-banking platforms, majority of bank customers in Nigeria still prefer using manual methods and the world is already on the verge of moving into 5 G from 4 G.