An Investigation into Challenges Facing Bank Agents in Provision of Financial Services to Customers (A Case of Bank Agents in Nyeri Town, Kenya)

Abstract

The study was conducted to identify the current and potential barriers to the access of basic banking services to the unbanked in Nyeri. The objectives of this study were; identify the extent in which the kind of financial services and products offered by bank agents affect access to financial services, determine the effect of financial education on access of financial services and the degree in which individual perceptions and attitudes affect access to financial services by the unbanked.The findings of the study will help in promotion of appropriate, accessible, usable, valuable and affordable basic financial services in the country. The population of interest in this study was the agents offering banking services in Nyeri. The sampling technique used is convenience sampling and due to the small size of the sample, a census of all the respondents was done. Data collection was done by the use of questionnaires.Data analysis was done using Microsoft excel and tabulation was done using tables, pie charts and graphs.

Keywords: unbanked, agent banking, financial services