Hiba’s Story

Hiba is a 32 year old full time homemaker from Indonesia. She typically starts her day at 5 AM, cooking for the family, preparing the children for school, and dropping them off and picking them up. While she does not actively earn, she is in charge of the household’s finances - managing household expenses, using cash for groceries, paying electricity bills, and topping up airtime at nearby mom-and-pop stores.

Hiba owns a smartphone that she shares with her children, who like to play online games and watch TikTok. She frequently uses WhatsApp to communicate with the parents' group at her children's school and some friends. Her day is filled with childcare responsibilities, leaving limited spare time for watching TV.

Her husband is the sole breadwinner, often working as a daily laborer and frequently needing to travel outside the city. She has a bank account to receive money from her husband. Once he informs her that he has transferred the money, she goes to a nearby ATM, about five minutes from her house, to withdraw it for household expenses.

Recommendations from her closest circles—her husband and friends—are the main touchpoints for her awareness and decision to onboard to digital financial services (DFS). Her friend recommended mobile banking so she can check if the money has been received. Interested, she asked her sister to help install the app, but her smartphone's memory was too full due to her children's games.

“My friend said the money will be sent to the smartphone. I don’t understand, but I would like to be able to do it.” - Hiba