Bason’s Story

Bason is a 48 year old a decorator who runs a business in a local bazar near Golapganj Upazila, Sylhet in Bangladesh. He primarily deals in cash for his transactions but occasionally uses his DFS account for Mobile Financial Services (MFS). After hearing from customers about the lower cash-out charges offered by a different brand, Bason became interested in opening a new account.

He verified this information with a trusted agent, whom he regularly visited for cash-out transactions. Confident after consulting both his family and the agent, who assured him about the savings on cash-out fees, Bason decided to proceed with registration.

One afternoon, Bason visited the agent's shop with his phone and NID in hand, ready to open his new account. The registration process had a few challenges. First, when the agent asked for his mobile number, Bason couldn’t recall it immediately, so he asked the agent to retrieve it from his phone. Then, while taking a photo of his NID, it took two attempts due to light reflections causing an issue.

When it was time to capture his live photo, Bason was uncertain about the instructions, like whether he needed to blink or smile. However, the photo was successfully captured on the first try. The agent then set the PIN number for Bason without asking him to do it himself, which was typical practice in the area. Even if asked, Bason would have preferred the agent handle it for him. After receiving the PIN written on a piece of paper, he left the shop, with the entire process taking around 10 minutes.