Proxy Users are individuals who effectively utilise Digital Financial Services (DFS) without owning a DFS account themselves. These individuals may face various resource constraints, such as the inability to afford a phone, limited time to undergo the onboarding process, or challenges in setting up an account. By relying on others’ accounts, they manage to access the services they need such as receiving money. They can then withdraw and use it, which allows them to maintain some level of financial flexibility.

However, this proxy usage can lead to situations where individuals have been onboarded on paper, but in reality are unable to use the service themselves due to the account being controlled and operated by another person, typically a family member. Such accounts are often established as collective family accounts rather than for individual use, reflecting a cultural norm where money is seen as a shared resource rather than belonging to one person. As a result, these individuals gain access to these finances only through the person controlling it. They may experience a loss of agency; where they once had control over their finances through cash, they now find themselves with limited control over household transactions.