Onboarding mobile-money agents and merchants
Updated May 2026 · 6 min read
Agent networks are how mobile money reaches people across Sierra Leone, from Freetown to smaller towns and villages. But agents and merchants are also a point of risk: they handle cash, they sit between the provider and the customer, and one person can try to register several times under different names. Onboarding them well means consistent evidence and reliable duplicate detection, even when the capture happens far from a branch.
This guide covers what to collect, why consistency matters in the field, and how duplicate detection helps. It is general guidance, not legal advice — confirm agent requirements with the relevant provider and the Bank of Sierra Leone.
Why agents are different from ordinary customers
An ordinary customer opens an account for their own use. An agent or merchant is closer to a small business acting on the provider’s behalf, which raises the stakes:
- They handle cash and float, so the trust placed in them is higher.
- They are often a small business, which can pull in KYB-style checks on the entity and its owner.
- They are a fraud target — duplicate registrations and identity reuse are common attempts.
- They are onboarded in the field, where capture conditions are harder to control than in a branch.
What to collect
The exact set depends on the provider’s policy, but agent onboarding usually gathers:
- The agent’s identity — document, registry check where available, and a face match, the same as a verified individual.
- Business details where the agent operates as a business — registration and owner information, the KYB layer.
- Location and contact details for the agent or outlet.
- Phone verification tied to the agent.
The goal is one complete record per agent that another reviewer could pick up and understand without chasing files.
Why consistency in the field is hard
Field onboarding introduces variation that a branch does not. Lighting is uneven, phones differ, connectivity drops, and the person capturing may be in a hurry. Left unchecked, that produces blurry document photos, missing fields, and records that look different from one agent to the next — exactly the inconsistency an auditor notices.
The fix is to push the same capture standard everywhere. The same prompts, the same checks on image quality, and the same required fields whether the agent is signed up in a city office or a rural market. Consistency is what makes the records comparable and the network reviewable as a whole.
Why duplicate detection matters
One person registering as several agents, or an agent who was removed coming back under a new name, is a recurring problem in agent networks. Checking only the document is not enough, because the same person can present different documents or details.
Duplicate detection compares a new applicant against people already in your records — including by face — so a returning or repeat identity can be flagged for review before they are approved. As with screening, treat a duplicate flag as a prompt for a human to look, not an automatic rejection.
Where MiProof fits
MiProof supports agent-assisted field capture with the same checks and the same evidence record used elsewhere, so an agent signed up in the field gets the same standard as one onboarded at a branch. It can run duplicate detection against existing records to flag repeat identities, and keep each agent’s identity, business, and check results in one case. Your team approves the agent; MiProof keeps the field evidence consistent and reviewable.
Common questions
Do agents need business checks as well as identity checks?
Often yes, where the agent operates as a business. That brings in KYB-style registry and owner checks on top of the agent’s personal identity verification.
How does duplicate detection catch a returning agent?
It compares a new applicant against people already in your records, including by face, so the same person re-applying under different details can be flagged for a reviewer.
Can field onboarding really match branch quality?
It can get close when every capture uses the same prompts, quality checks, and required fields. The aim is one consistent record regardless of where the agent was signed up.
Want to see these checks on your own documents? Try a live demo or book a free process review and we will map them to your KYC tiers.