This study aims to investigate the impact of electronic banking infrastructure and performance on the cost of funds in 57 branches of Tejarat Bank in East Azerbaijan Province. For this purpose, monthly data for the year 2023 (1402 in the Iranian calendar) were analyzed using dynamic panel regression and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM).
The results indicate that the expansion of electronic banking alone does not necessarily guarantee a reduction in the cost of funds, and its effect depends on the type of tools used and the quality of their utilization. Increasing the number of ATMs, as a key component of electronic banking infrastructure, has a significant negative effect on the cost of funds. However, an increase in the volume and especially the average amount of ATM transactions—mostly cash withdrawals—can lead to a higher cost of funds.
Moreover, merely increasing the number of registered mobile banking users and expanding point-of-sale (POS) terminals has a neutral or even increasing effect on the cost of funds. This is mainly because a portion of mobile banking accounts remain inactive, and POS terminals generate relatively high settlement and maintenance costs without attracting stable and low-cost deposits. In terms of performance indicators, the only electronic banking tool that shows a significant and stable cost-reducing effect—both in the number and the average amount of transactions—is active mobile banking. Active users tend to maintain more stable balances in current and Qard-al-Hasanah accounts and help reduce branch operational costs.
Overall, the ratio of current accounts to total deposits and the loans-to-resources ratio are among the most important factors in reducing the cost of funds.