Sajib’s Story

Sajib is a 27 year old who lives in a rural area in the Lalmonirhat district Bangladesh, where he runs a grocery store and also works in agriculture on his own land. He manages his finances via his bank account and is a member of Microfinance organisation from which he took out a loan to support his business.

Additionally, Sajib holds two DFS accounts from the same service provider, both registered under his NID.

The first account was opened six years ago using his old NID card, and the second one was registered five months ago with his smart card.

The reason for maintaining accounts stems from his grandmother's old age allowance, which is deposited into the first account. After each disbursement, some of the account services are restricted for 15 days to prevent fraud. To avoid disruptions in his transactions during this time, Sajib decided to open another account.

For the second account, Sajib visited an agent in the Parulia market since he doesn’t own a smartphone. Opening the account required his National ID and two copies of his photo, as he was purchasing a new SIM card. The agent took photos of Sajib’s NID and his face. Once the account was opened, the agent set a PIN, which Sajib later changed himself.

Being cautious of fraud, which is prevalent in his area, Sajib never shares his PIN with anyone. He regularly sends money to his sister, who lives outside the village, and occasionally receives money from outside his community through bKash. For cash-out services, Sajib only visits the agent located right next to his shop, as he had once encountered fraud at an unknown agent’s location and prefers to avoid such risks.