DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC BANKING SOFTWARE

Electronic banking is the use of banking services, conducted via electronic media and internet technology. With the rapid increase in the development and availability of information and communications technologies e-banking has become a reality. People are beginning to sell and purchase goods via the Internet. They are beginning to transact and transfer funds via the use of e-banking without feeling the need to visit banks. The objectives of this study are among things to assist microfinance banks to: 1. Develop new and appropriate service delivery channels to deploy; 2. Manage their services more efficiently; 3. Keep more effectively and efficiently customer’s details / records through a database management system for keeping. The main motivation for this work is the need to deliver more efficient and effective services to the urban and rural poor who are the major patrons of microfinance institutions. This has become more imperative given the fact that the facilities notably the increasing access of people to the World Wide Web through cybercafés and even mobile makes it possible for more and more people to gather banking information and carry out banking transactions via the Internet. The present semi-computerised system in use by Garden City Micro Finance Bank was thoroughly investigated and analysed using the SSADM/OOADM (Structure System Analysis and Design Methodology / Object - Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology) and prototyping approach. The proposed e-banking application was developed using Microsoft Visual Basic.NET and Microsoft Access as a database management system. The new system was designed into a well programmed online Web application, with the bank records stored in a database in combination with an online registration of customers and checking of account balances and supervisors details. Since data and its storage are considered to be heart of any information system, it has to be up to date, accurate and accessible in the required form and available to one or perhaps many users at the same time. Risk and challenges involved are discussed while results and recommendations are included in the report. The finding of the project on the impact of electronic banking on banks profitability is that it may be negative in the short run due to the capital investment by banks on infrastructure and training but will be positive on the long run.