Bimo’s Story
Bimo is a 23-year-old college student from rural East Java who balances his studies with helping run his parents' small store. In his leisure time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and taking care of his plants.
He used to have a bank account to receive money while studying in another city, but he no longer uses it and now saves money in a piggy bank at home.
He finds it inconvenient to travel back and forth to an ATM, which is far from his house. He saves money with the intention of opening a coffee shop in the future.
His current mobile number is inactive, but he still uses it because he communicates via WhatsApp, which still works with the inactive number. He relies on his neighbour's WiFi for internet access and uses public WiFi when he goes out. Despite having an inactive number, he was able to register and create a digital wallet account.
Once, a bank customer service representative offered to onboard him to mobile banking, but he declined, fearing that the ease of transactions would lead to spendthrift behaviour. He has had a troubling experience when a debt collector called him because a friend listed him as an emergency contact without his consent, leading to three days of calls about his friend's unpaid debt. That accident further intensified his reluctance to onboard any kind of Digital Financial Services.
"I was offered mobile banking before. But I'm not interested as it makes spending so easy. I'm worried I will become a spendthrift." - Bimo
Additionally, he is concerned about using a digital wallet due to a friend's experience where a top-up didn't reflect in the balance. Furthermore, he is confused about the cash-in and cash-out process for digital wallet accounts. His hesitation is further compounded by a friend pressuring him to play online gambling and offering to send money through a digital wallet for that purpose.
