From This Day Live

In the estimation of Executive Director, Shared Services, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs. Chijioke Ugochukwu, who spoke with Festus Akanbi last week, the teething problems to e-payment mode of banking notwithstanding, Nigerian banks are better positioned to avail Nigerians the opportunity to participate in e-commerce

As the regulatory authorities and other stakeholders in the financial sector move to perfect e-payment mode of banking in a way to keep cybercriminals at bay, some operators believe time has come for Nigeria to join other members of the international community to reap the gains of e-commerce.

To this school of thought, Nigeria, a member of the global market cannot fully maximise its full potentials unless it avails itself of the opportunity provided by e-commerce which has removed boundaries in international businesses.

One of such incurable optimists is the Executive Director, Shared Services, Fidelity Bank Plc, Mrs. Chijioke Ugochukwu.
Beating her chest that the future of internet banking is bright in Nigeria, Ugochukwu recalled that in 2012, 32.9 per cent of Nigerians used the internet  up from 0.1 per cent in 2001.
She believed that a lot of progress had been made with Internet use in other e-commerce areas, for example online shopping sites.

She said: “The same is now applicable to banking. Every banking service from account balance inquiry, funds transfer (domestic and international), cheque book request, cheque confirmation, card requests, card hot-listing, payment of subscriptions, fees, account opening, etc., can now be done online, anywhere and with any device.”

According to her, “An in-depth review of customer satisfaction feedback reveals a clear correlation between the superiority of e-channels and customer satisfaction. “When the customer talks, the bank walks. In a nutshell, the future of Internet banking in Nigeria is very bright. The freedom and convenience it provides are major selling points.”

Leading by Example
Since charity, they say, begins at home, Ugochukwu said her financial institution, Fidelity Bank considers Information Technology (IT) a critical business enabler. “We invest in innovative IT solutions and techniques to reduce the cost of operations and improve the quality of services to customers.

Written by Chijioke Ugochukwu/Read more at This Day Live