A central trope of information society is that of “flow.” An implicit assumption underlying such a vision of information flows involves the removal of gatekeepers and intermediaries. Subsequent developments are showing that information does not flow so freely; and that intermediaries proliferate. How do we define, and then explain the persistence of intermediaries? Drawing on ethnographic field work in agricultural markets in Myanmar and India, and adopting an actor-network theory perspective, we tease apart the different functions played by human agents – traders, brokers, auctioneers, etc - and non-human – mobile phones, cash - intermediaries in these markets to understand the practices and the power hierarchies that exist around them, the characteristics that make them resilient in a time of change, and which of these many functions and roles can or cannot be replaced or supported by digital technologies. What value do these financial agents bring to monetary and financial transactions? What value do these transactions bring to the lives of intermediaries? Are intermediaries strengthened in their position of power by digital technologies, or can digital technologies challenge existing power hierarchies? Our research aims at mapping out the financial and mobile phone practices of different market actors, of end-users and intermediaries, in order to uncover their differing needs and expectations. Identifying the role played by different material forms of money and by intermediaries in fulfilling these needs and expectations, we argue, can help explain why promises of disintermediation languish and both cash and financial intermediaries persist in the digital age.