Internet banking gaining ground, Banks Increasingly operate websites through which customers are able balances and interest and exchange rates not only to inquire about account but also to conduct a range of transactions. Unfortunately,data on Internet banking is scarce and differences in definitions make cross-country comparisons difficult. Even so, one finds that 5 Internet in Austria, Korea, the Scandinavian countries, banking is particularly widespread Singapore, Spain, and switzerland, where more than 75 percent of all banks offer Internet banking services. The Scandinavian countries have the largest number of Internet users, with up to one-third of bank customers in Finland and sweden taking advantage of e-banking. In the United States, Internet banking is still concentrated in the largest banks. In mid- 2001, 44 percent of national banks maintained transactional websites almost double the number in the third quarter of 1999. These banks account for over 90 percent of national banking system assets. The larger banks tend to offer a wider array of electronic banking services, including loan applications and brokerage services. While most U.S. consumers have accounts with banks that offer Internet services, only about 6 percent of them use these services.