This study is about to establish the effects of deposit mobilization on the bank financial performance in commercial banks in Rwanda. A case study of Equity bank Rwanda limited. Deposits are an indispensable tool commercial banks use to enhance its profitability through advancing deposits mobilized to its customers in form of loans which make in return interest to commercial banks. The lending activity is made possible only if the banks can mobilize enough funds from their customers. Specific objectives of this study are to determine the effect of marketing strategies on the financial performance of commercial banks in Rwanda, to establish the effect of interest rate changes on the financial performance of commercial banks in Rwanda and to determine the effect of banking technology introduced on the financial performance of commercial banks in Rwanda. The target population for the study was the bank managers involved in deposit mobilization namely the marketing team and the branch management team in Equity bank Rwanda. The research used a census to study a population of 27 staff. The main source of data was the primary and secondary data. The documentary method, the questionnaire as research instruments were used to get the data needed for the research. Data were processed by use of descriptive statistics after editing have been done. The computer software SPSS version 20 was used as a device to accommodate analysis. Pearson and Spearman’s correlation analysis was used to test the nature of relationship. The findings indicated that majority of the respondents (85%) confirmed that the brand name of the Equity Bank is recognized in the public this has made able overcoming challenges mostly facing high competition with other banks. The marketing strategy used made the bank to increase in terms of customers and it has led to the increase in deposits over the years. The findings also indicated that a positive change in deposits interest rate affects the level of deposits received and later on the profitability of the bank. The study revealed that the introduction of innovative banking technology has led to the increase in deposits at a low cost as opposed to the usual way of getting deposits through term deposits and made financial services accessible in the unbanked people. This also made the ROA, ROE, net profit increasing due as the loans volume increases. The statistical correlation revealed that there is a positive relationship between deposits mobilization and financial performance of commercial banks in Rwanda, the case of Equity Bank. The study recommends the bank to develop other strategies towards marketing and mobilize more deposits as they are indispensable tools towards the profitability of the bank.
Keywords: Banking Technology, Commercial Bank, Deposit Interest Rate, Deposit Mobilization, Financial Performance, Marketing Strategies
