71% of Nigerian Users Express Frustration with Banking App Assistance
A new industry study has sounded a clear warning to banks and fintech firms operating in Nigeria’s booming digital finance sector: customer support within banking apps is failing to meet user expectations.
According to the State of UX in Financial Apps: Nigeria Report 2025 released by payment technology company Interswitch, 71 per cent of Nigerian banking app users find in-app support ineffective, highlighting serious usability issues that could undermine trust and slow adoption of digital financial services.
Rising Digital Adoption, Growing Frustration
Nigeria’s digital banking landscape has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by increasing smartphone penetration, government cashless policies and expanding fintech innovations. Millions of consumers now rely on mobile and internet banking for everyday transactions — from transfers and bill payments to airtime purchases and savings.
But the new report shows that while more Nigerians are using banking apps, the quality of in-app help and guidance is lagging far behind. Through hundreds of user surveys, in-depth interviews and technical evaluations against global usability standards, the study found that many customers struggle to get timely assistance or clear guidance when issues arise.
Users reported that common frustrations stem from:
- Unclear error messages that leave them unsure how to resolve problems;
- Lack of real-time help or live support options;
- Complex navigation and buried help menus that make assistance hard to find.
Support Failures Affect Everyday Transactions
The impact of poor in-app support extends beyond minor inconveniences. Respondents said difficulties in resolving failed transfers, understanding transaction errors and getting prompt help erode confidence in digital channels — particularly for critical transactions like payments to merchants or billers.
Analysts say this reflects broader user experience (UX) shortcomings in Nigeria’s fintech and banking ecosystem. As users become more sophisticated and demand smoother digital experiences, companies that fail to respond risk losing customers to competitors with better designed services
Industry Calls for a New Focus on UX
Speaking on the report’s findings, Cherry Eromosele, Executive Vice President, Group Marketing and Communications at Interswitch, emphasized that the growing strategic importance of user experience in financial services.
“User experience is no longer a cosmetic layer in financial services; it is the product itself. As digital channels become the primary way people engage with financial institutions, trust, simplicity and reliability are what truly differentiate one platform from another.”
Industry experts believe that improving in-app support and UX is not just a customer service issue but a business imperative. With more fintechs and banks offering similar core services, seamless and responsive digital experiences could become the key competitive advantage in the Nigerian market.
Implications for Financial Inclusion
The report also highlights implications for financial inclusion efforts. For first-time users, less digitally savvy individuals and low-income Nigerians, poor app design and ineffective support can become barriers to participation in formal financial systems à potentially reversing progress in a space that has made major strides in recent years.
As Nigeria’s digital finance sector continues to innovate and expand, the message from the Interswitch report is clear: banks and fintech firms must invest more in customer-centric design and support systems if they want to retain trust and sustain growth.
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