Customers of nine leading commercial banks paid N154 billion fee for using electronic banking services in the first half of the year (H1’23).
Details of the banks’ financial statements for H1’23 showed that the fee represents a 16.7 percent year-on-year (YoY) rise when compared to N131.97 billion paid in H1’22.
The banks are Guaranty Trust Bank which raked in N21.2 billion from the customers, Access Bank (N43.9), Zenith Bank (N22.27 billion), United Bank for Africa Plc (N51.07 billion), Stanbic IBTC (N2.14 billion), First City Monument Bank (N7.4 billion), Unity Bank (N1.96 billion), Fidelity Bank (N1.85 billion) and Wema Bank (N3.13 billion).
Electronic Banking is a service that enables banking transactions through electronic payment channels like internet banking, mobile banking, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), Point of Sale (PoS) among others.
The rise in electronic banking fees and commission indicates that Nigerians’ adoption of electronic payment channels has continued to increase.
According to the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS) e-payment data for Q1’23 the volume of e-payment transactions grew YoY by 209 percent to 4.7 billion from 1.52 billion in Q1’22.
The value of e-payment transactions increased YoY by 48 percent to N137.52 trillion in Q1’23 from N92.85 trillion in Q1’22.
Meanwhile, in H1 ’23, the nine banks earned N66.7 billion from account maintenance fees and commission income, representing a 14.7 percent YoY rise when compared to N57.5 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2022, H1’22.
In terms of highest account maintenance fees and commission income, Zenith Bank had the highest (N21.02 billion), followed by Access Bank (N13.36 billion), Guaranty Trust Bank (N10.5 billion), United Bank of Africa, UBA, (N9.6 billion), First City Monument Bank, FCMB, (N3.85 billion), Fidelity Bank (N3.4 billion), Stanbic IBTC (N2.64 billion), Wema Bank (N1.63 billion) and Unity Bank ( N742.6 million).
However, in terms of growth, UBA had the highest YoY growth of 47.6 percent at N9.6 billion in H1’23 from N6.5 billion in H1’22.
The cumulative net fees and commission income for the banks grew YoY by 20.7 percent to N448.47 billion in H1’23 from N371.43 billion in H1’22.