Abstract:

The paper approaches the issue of developing the banking activity within the context of the changes brought by the emergence of the newest information and communication technologies and the expansion of their use. Using data for EU27 countries, there are emphasized the major changes induced by Internet, mobile telephony and social media networks in the behaviour of the customers, but also of the banks, showing the need for reshaping the banking activity towards using these technologies by the banks, in order to satisfy the clients and to become more competitive. The analysis proved that the tendency of shifting towards the newest technologies is much accentuated in Nordic countries, but there is a general trend in the entire Europe of reshaping the banking activity by using these technologies, banks integrating them in a multi-channel approach of the customers, demanded more and more by the latter. Also, we note that Internet banking, mobile banking and social media banking are bringing banks lots of advantages in satisfying their clients, contributing to their retention and become the main tools of attracting new ones, within the competition with the other banks or non-bank financial institutions. It results that the costs for the needed reshaping of the banking activity by using the newest technologies are exceeded by the benefits obtained by banks, in terms of market share and revenues. p