Internet banking is gaining ground. Banks increasingly operate website trough which customers are able not only to inquire about account balance and interest and exchange rates but also to conduct a range of transaction. Unfortunately,data on internet banking is scarce and differences in definitions make cross-country comparisons difficult. Even so,one finds that
Internet banking is particularly widespread in Austria,Korea,the Scandinavian countries,Singapore,Spain,and Switzerland,where more than 75 percent of all bank offer Internet banking services. The Scadinavian countries have a 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 largest 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.