Topic > Mobile Banking Usage and Experience in Sri Lanka

The widespread use of technologies such as mobile phones and smartcard readers undoubtedly promises to significantly expand financial access to many customers who are currently unbanked or with insufficient banking services, radically reducing transaction costs while improving customer convenience as they use existing infrastructure (such as mobile phones and retail stores) and agent networks (Seneviratne, D, 2016). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayIn common with many other developing countries, Sri Lanka has experienced phenomenal growth in telecommunications services during the last decade (Colombage, S, 2012) . The statistical picture of the telecommunications sector and telephone penetration at the end of March 2018 illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 illustrates the current penetration well. The number of mobile subscribers increased from 71,029 in 1996 to almost 28.2 million in 2018. This implies that the mobile subscription per 100 people in March 2018 recorded 131.5, thus providing ample evidence of the enormous potential for popularize mobile banking in Sri Lanka. As a direct consequence of the rapid increase in mobile penetration and ambitious initiatives undertaken by financial institutions appropriately supported by regulators, the volume and value of mobile banking transactions have seen a sharp increase in recent years, as highlighted in the table and graph below (Seneviratne, D, 2016). The concept of experience in the present study focuses on the experience of using a mobile phone, referring to “the degree to which banking consumers are experienced in using a mobile phone” (Bouwman et al., 2008). Previous studies have shown that experience plays a key role in studying the use of m-banking. For example, users' previous experiences (positive or negative) with mobile services would influence their perception towards such services in general (Rao et al., 2007; Taylor & Todd, 1995) as well as m-banking services in particular (Lee, & Eastwood, 2003). The role of user awareness has been highlighted in the literature. The awareness factor can be used to understand consumers' perception regarding mobile banking (Wadhe & Ghodke, 2013). The researcher also indicates that consumer awareness has a significant impact on interest in using mobile banking and that consumers are interested because they have heard about it somewhere and think that m-banking will allow them to carry out transactions banking at any time. Yesodha, N et al. ., 2011 conducted research to identify the reasons for preferring mobile banking, awareness of mobile banking services and the frequency with which they are used by the respondents, opinion of the respondents regarding various problems of mobile banking, etc. The author suggested that awareness regarding am -banking services must be provided before or after the launch of the technology. An Indian study conducted by Ahmad, & Gupta, 2015 concludes that the degree of awareness has a significant influence on customers' attitude towards m-banking. They also suggested bank managers to use such information to develop appropriate strategies to retain existing customers and to attract new customers to use m-banking services by increasing awareness. Furthermore, a study conducted in Tanzania by Abdinoor & Mbamba, in 2017, to investigate the factors that prevent customers from accepting mobile banking, found that.