Online banking, also known as internet banking, is an electronic payment system that enables customers of a bank or other financial institution to conduct a range of financial transactions through the financial institution's website. The online banking system will typically connect to or be part of the core banking system operated by a bank and is in contrast to branch banking which was the traditional way customers accessed banking services.
Some banks operate as a "direct bank" (or “virtual bank”), where they rely completely on internet banking.
Internet banking software provides personal and corporate banking services offering features such as viewing account balances, obtaining statements, checking recent transaction and making payments. Access is usually through a secure web site using a username and password, but security is a key consideration in internet banking and many banks also offer two factor authentication using a (security token).