Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate customers’ attitudes and intentions toward internet banking in an underdeveloped banking sector. Design/methodology/approach The study was carried out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A sample of 215 respondents comprised of 112 non-users and 103 users of internet banking was selected in the city of Bukavu following a convenience sampling method and structural equation modeling was applied to test the research hypotheses. Findings The results show that for users of internet banking their attitudes are determined by their perceived usefulness while for non-users they are determined by their perceived usefulness and internet trust. For users of internet banking, their intentions to continue using internet banking are determined by attitudes and perceived usefulness; while for internet banking non-users, their intention to use internet banking is determined by their attitudes, their perceived web security and perceived usefulness. Originality/value Few research on internet banking have been done in central and sub-Saharan Africa. The present study gives new insights to assist financial institutions and researchers in understanding intentions and attitudes toward internet banking in an underdeveloped financial sector.