Impacts of Information and Communication Technology Implementation on Regulated Financial Services: The Case of Swaziland

The impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the individual level as well as at the organizational and societal levels is evident from the large stream of research in various domains (Bala and Venkatesh, 2013; Dewan and Kraemer, 2000; Gillwald and Stork, 2007; Mithas et al., 2012). In recent years, ICTs have become an integral part of public sector organizations as well, impacting decisionmaking in government policies, financial systems, and governance regulations (Cordella and Bonina, 2012). While prior research in this regard has focused primarily on contexts relevant to western countries, many African nations have recently experienced rapid adoption of ICTs geared toward improving the social connectivity of people as well as in computerization of traditional public sector organizations (Cordella and Iannacci, 2010). Although the use of ICTs in African public sector organizations is still low as compared to their counterparts in western countries, ICTs are rapidly gaining recognition among African governments and policy makers as a tool for expediting economic growth and development (Gillwald and Stork, 2007). Leaders and government officials in African nations have started recognizing the importance of ICTs and experimenting with ICT implementation strategies to maximize the benefits for different stakeholders (Gillwald and Stork, 2007).