Digital Bank Remains a "Nice to Have" Alternative

I am Randi (29). I currently work as a private employee and live in one of the tier-3 cities in Central Java – working full time remotely. Although living in a small district, access to public facilities such as banks and modern retail is quite easy. I live at home with my wife [housewife] and a toddler. Using the Socio-Economic Status (SES) category commonly used in the survey, my current condition is fit to “A” at the middle class level.

If you look at the financial records application that I manage with my wife, our average monthly expenses are in the range of IDR 4 million to IDR 6 million [increased by 40% after having children]. Some routine expenses are including bill payments, daily necessities, children's needs, health including child immunization, and entertainment. Beyond that, there are always sudden or urgent needs issued every month with an indeterminate amount.

In managing financial flows, we have several bank accounts for specific purposes. Permata Bank is my office payroll, Bank Mandiri used as savings, and Bank BRI is to pay various routine bills. These bank options have each fundamental reason. First, the office mandatory; even though the nearest Permata Bank branch is in the next town which is about 45 minutes away by car. The Mandiri account used for savings is actually my wife's former payroll account when she used to work.