This study empirically investigates the long-run and short-run impacts of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) on the growth of the banking sector in Nigeria from 2009 to 2024. Utilizing the study employs the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration framework. Banking sector growth (BGRW) is operationalized as the dependent variable, while digital financial channels—Automated Teller Machines (ATM), Point of Sale (POS) systems, mobile banking (MOB), and internet banking (INTB)—serve as the principal explanatory variables. Financial development (FD) and inflation (INF) are incorporated as macroeconomic control variables. The empirical results reveal a mixed-stationarity profile among the variables, validating the suitability of the ARDL Bounds testing technique. The long-run estimations indicate that ATM transactions, POS transactions, and mobile banking significantly and positively influence banking sector growth in Nigeria. Internet banking, however, exhibits a negative and statistically insignificant impact in both the short-run and long-run estimations. Financial development contributes positively to banking sector growth over the long run, while inflation demonstrates significance only within the short-run horizon. The study concludes that digital banking channels represent critical drivers of financial intermediation and institutional growth within Nigeria’s banking system. However, infrastructural deficiencies, cybersecurity concerns, and digital literacy gaps continue to limit the full realization of ICT benefits. The study recommends increased investment in digital infrastructure, expansion of rural financial technology access, stronger cybersecurity frameworks, and intensified financial literacy campaigns to sustain the long-term growth of the Nigerian banking sector.
Mercy et al. (Tue,) studied this question.