We are living in an increasingly digitised world, and our day-to-day lives are becoming ever more dominated by social media, gadgets and the internet.
With the many of us owning smartphones, tablet computers and laptops, we all participate in this new digital reality to a greater or lesser extent - and many of us benefit from the convenience, speed and reliability it offers.
With many people turning to online banking in the past few years, it seems that the way we manage our money is also changing as a result of new technology, with more traditional forms of banking - such as visiting a local branch - becoming less popular.
Research from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has suggested that digital banking is set to become the 'norm' by 2015 - becoming the most popular way for customers to interact with their bank and keep on top of their finances. The findings revealed that 69% of consumers already go online to buy financial products, indicating just how big the connection is between technology and banking.
So could bank branches really be left in the dark, as digital banking becomes the future for managing our money? Or are the 'tried and tested' methods really the best?
'Demand for digital'
PwC's research, based on the responses of more than 3,000 banking customers worldwide, found that the majority of people said they'd be willing to pay up to £10 a month for services offering digital banking - if they think it'll offer them convenience and good value.
Banking customers revealed that they'd be prepared to pay for such digital 'perks' as social media notifications, an 'electronic wallet' for loyalty cards and other financial tools offered by banks. Here in the UK alone, 65% of people surveyed said they'd be happy paying just over £4 per month for their bank to store loyalty card points, which could then be redeemed for cash.
PwC's retail and commercial banking partner, Stephen Whitehouse, believes that banks are currently falling behind the apparent public appetite for increased digital banking services.
Mr. Whitehouse commented: "Banks have generally been too slow to embrace the digital innovation customers now expect from other industries, such as retail or travel. This needs to improve if banks are to hold on to their existing customers and attract the next generation, as the quality of a bank's digital offering will become an increasingly important factor for consumers."
'Getting what you pay for'
Paying for additional services and benefits that come with a bank account isn't anything new, of course.
There are already many different bank accounts out there that charge a fixed fee in return for their services, whether it's an account such as the one offered by thinkbanking, which comes with a built-in budgeting service, or many packaged accounts which include 'extras' such as travel insurance and mobile phone cover.
As the saying goes, you 'get what you pay for', but it all really comes down to what you want, and how much you're willing to pay for it. People's needs can vary greatly: what one person may consider as a 'must have' when it comes to banking could be the very last thing another person would want.
However, one thing seems sure: with technology quickly changing, from contactless payments to 'electronic wallets', digital banking's move into the mainstream isn't a question of if, but when.