Top trends that will shape banking in 2022 

We sat down with our Direct Markets Director at Creditinfo Group, Samuel White, to discuss some of the key trends that will shape banking in the MENA and Asia region. These were some of his thoughts:

New market players from non-traditional lenders such as telco or payment providers

We are seeing an increasingly number of non-banks entering the markets. There has been a clear sign that these companies have a wealth of internal data through their platforms and usually e-wallet transactions. It has been proven that this data is extremely valuable during the risk assessment process.

SME finance

SMEs are playing an instrumental role in local economies but still struggle to receive the access to banking products in a timely fashion. In the region every country is looking at how better to serve these customers and provide them with the solutions they require.

Digital Banks, Neo Banks, Born Digital Banks

Many of the traditional lenders are based on legacy technologies and we have seen an accelerated approach to digital transformation over the last 2 years. We have also seen some banks create new digital arms to their organization setup with new technology away from legacy portfolios. These Born Digital Banks are increasing in the region, and anybody left behind can expect to lose some market share in the future.

BNPL

Buy Now Pay Later (or as some are calling it Save now pay later) is not a new concept but there is no doubt it is growing with popularity. The demand for flexible payment offerings is at an all-time high. Typically, these smaller value loans are based on impulse buying so lenders must make sure they have the process in place to offer instant decisioning.

We also asked him how Creditinfo is playing a role in shaping these trends:

How is Creditinfo helping banks lead in the digital era? 

At Creditinfo we are focusing on helping banks streamline and improve the credit process across the full credit lifecycle, from origination through scoring, risk, decisioning and portfolio management. We are offering enhanced digital channels to meet the customer demands and reach the underserved or unbanked segments. We recognize it has become more accessible for individuals and SMEs to make use of digital financial services and by working with Banks we can develop software and applications to deliver services that are more transparent and automated.

What is Creditinfo’s business model and how do you see this model shaping the banking industry?

Creditinfo is a provider of credit information and risk management solutions worldwide, one of our primary goals is to help facilitate access to finance. We have built credit bureaus globally and across different markets, giving us key insights and knowledge into best practices. Creditinfo has a vision to create successful partnerships with lenders, governments, central banks to help increase financial inclusion and generate economic growth by allowing credit access for individuals and SMEs.

Creditinfo wants to continue building products and working with partners to add further solutions and data to enable lenders to further lend in a responsible fashion. Lenders are shifting their attitude towards FinTechs to keep pace with change and remain competitive. There is a huge variety of FinTech offerings available today using wide range of data that’s delivered through applications to provide lending decisions in only a few seconds.

Creditinfo Gulf and Tech Access Strategic Partnership

Creditinfo Gulf and Tech Access joined forces and announced a strategic partnership to enhance risk assessment and facilitate access to finance in the MENA region.

Both companies will help Lenders and Tech firms streamline the risk assessment process and increase credit quality, earnings and growth while mitigating credit risk.

Creditinfo is a leading service provider for credit information and risk management solutions worldwide. It has established more than 33 credit bureaus in mature and emerging markets over 4 continents, thus tangibly contributing to growing and strengthening economies.

Tech Access has become an acknowledged industry leader in the ICT enterprise distribution market in the MENA region. Providing technology solutions to large Govt., private and public corporations across UAE, KSA, Pakistan, Levant & Africa regions.

“Our partnership, comprised with Creditinfo Gulf, is to enhance our local and regional coverage on credit information and fintech service provider across the globe, offering cutting-edge analytical tools and software solutions for the financial industry for efficient credit risk and strategic decision making” commented Jawwad Rehman, CEO Tech Access.

“This announcement marks another significant milestone, and we are excited to start this new partnership with Tech Access to provide full potential of intelligent information, software and analytics solutions. Supported by international know-how and local market support, setting a remarkable high bar in the MENA region. We look forward to working with Tech Access and Financial Lenders to deliver these capabilities.” commented Gary Brown, Managing Director Creditinfo Gulf

Ends.

Creditinfo awarded contract as the service provider for the Credit Information System of Seychelles

Creditinfo to establish a new Credit Information System for the country.

London, UK – 11th January 2022: Creditinfo Group, the leading global credit information and decision analytics solutions provider, today announced that it has signed a contract to design, implement and support a new Credit Information System (CIS) for the Central Bank of Seychelles (CBS).

The contract – which will see Creditinfo’s solution rolled out over the next 12 months – makes CBS the 10th central bank to procure a credit information solution from the company.

At the end of 2020, the Seychelles population stood at 98,963, out of which there were approximately 20,099 active retail credit consumers. Seven commercial banks, all licensed and regulated by CBS, are currently the main institutions granting credit facilities to customers. A local credit union and two micro-finance institutions, also supervised by CBS, are the other major providers of credit facilities.

One of the recommendations in Seychelles’ Financial Sector Development Implementation Plan adopted in 2014 was the need to enhance the effectiveness of the existing CIS operated by CBS, inclusive of broadening the scope for the capture of information across all relevant credit providers. In this context, CBS initiated a tender process in April 2021, inviting credit information solutions providers to submit proposals to develop and implement a new CIS. The contract has ultimately been awarded to Creditinfo.

The solution will include scoring, benchmarking, and the implementation of external data sources. Creditinfo will also provide training, consultancy and ongoing support services for the management of the system over the next five years to ensure that CBS employees, local lenders and data providers have the necessary knowledge to make the new CIS a successful endeavor.

Once established, the new CIS will support existing lenders and, over time, onboard other credit data providers, including fintech companies, state-owned enterprises, hire purchase providers, credit sales and financial leasing companies, insurance companies, amongst others. Hence, the new and expanded CIS will support the incorporation of additional data to supplement traditional sources and ultimately provide more individuals and businesses with the financing needed to realize their goals and grow the economy. In addition, the enhanced system will assist the overall mitigation of credit risk.

Samuel White, Regional Director at Creditinfo commented: “While the Central Bank of Seychelles currently has a credit information system in place, it doesn’t meet the market needs of today, and certainly doesn’t enable it to realize the future ambitions of the country and its economy. We’re delighted to win this tender to put in place the technology and knowledge base to help open doors for individuals and small and medium-sized enterprises by increasing access to credit.

We see huge untapped potential in the market, and we are excited to work with our 10th central bank customer to establish a credit information system fit for the future. Once operational, this new system will enable more responsible lending by empowering local credit providers with the data they need to ensure they manage lending risks appropriately, ultimately boosting access to finance for individuals and small businesses.”

Caroline Abel, Governor, Central Bank of Seychelles, said: “Seychelles has a vibrant financial services ecosystem, and access to credit is an important aspect as we look to boost financial inclusion in the market and look at ways to grow our economy. At the same time, lenders should have access to appropriate data to have a better overview of the creditworthiness of borrowers, be able to assess credit risks and make sound financial decisions. Information collected through such a system can also be used for analysis and monitoring in the areas of financial inclusion and stability.   

The CBS is therefore looking forward to the collaboration with Creditinfo over the next five years to have a modern credit information system that is in line with industry standards, ultimately assisting the development of the credit environment and overall financial sector.”

Paul Randall, CEO of Creditinfo Group added: “Creditinfo has been effective in strengthening the financial infrastructure in numerous countries across the world, and working with central banks to create a robust and fair way to assess risk and credit affordability. We are looking forward to supporting the Central Bank of Seychelles with their implementation of a future-looking credit information solution and widening access to the information and financing that will be key to future business and economic growth in the country.”

-ENDS-

About Creditinfo

Established in 1997 and headquartered in London, UK, Creditinfo is a provider of credit information and risk management solutions worldwide. As one of the fastest-growing companies in its field, Creditinfo facilitates access to finance, through intelligent information, software and analytics solutions.

With more than 30 credit bureaus running today, Creditinfo has the largest global presence in the field of credit risk management, with a significantly greater footprint than competitors. For decades it has provided business information, risk management and credit bureau solutions to some of the largest lenders, governments and central banks globally – all with the aim of increasing financial inclusion and generating economic growth by allowing credit access for SMEs and individuals.

For more information, please visit www.creditinfo.com

Media Contacts:

Matt Silver

Babel PR for Creditinfo Group

Creditinfo@babelpr.com

+44 (0)20 7199 3997

Creditinfo awarded license to become Malta’s first Credit Bureau

Creditinfo Malta will help local credit providers take a more intelligent approach to risk and boost financial inclusion.

London, UK – 21st December 2021: Creditinfo Group, the leading global credit information and decision analytics solutions provider, today announced that its Maltese business has been granted the license to act as a Credit Reference Agency, officially recognizing the Creditinfo Malta as the first licensed credit bureau in Malta.

This license will enable the company to launch a credit scoring system for Malta, and collaborate with local banks and lenders to create dedicated scoring products and strategies, tailored to their needs and risk appetite.

Consumers and SMEs in smaller markets like Malta are less likely to obtain financing than those in larger market with more established financial infrastructure, due to lack of information about their credit history. A credit reporting system – like the one Creditinfo is putting in place – helps to provide the information on borrowers and their financial situation lenders need to derisk the system and give them the confidence to widen access to financing.

The deal, which will see Creditinfo play an increasingly important role in the Maltese market, strengthens the company’s relationships with two key local authorities, the Malta Business Registry and the Malta Financial Services Authority, who are equally invested in growing the Maltese economy and boosting financial inclusion.

Clifford Debono, Country Manager of Creditinfo Malta commented: “A formalized credit reporting system in Malta should help open doors for small and medium-sized enterprises that have long been closed, by increasing access to credit. That will in turn enable them to grow, create jobs and benefit the overall economy.

“We see huge untapped potential in Malta, and we’re excited to establish the country’s first ever credit bureau, which will be a key driver of digitalization in Maltese financial services., ultimately boosting access to finance for individuals and small businesses.”

Paul Randall, CEO of Creditinfo Group added: “Creditinfo has been effective in strengthening the financial infrastructure in numerous countries across the world. We’re looking forward to seeing how the local lending landscape develops as we roll out our market leading credit bureau solution in Malta, derisking the financial system and widening access to the financing that will be key to future business and economic growth in the country.”

Ends

About Creditinfo

Established in 1997 and headquartered in London, UK, Creditinfo is a provider of credit information and risk management solutions worldwide. As one of the fastest growing companies in its field, Creditinfo facilitates access to finance, through intelligent information, software and analytics solutions.

With more than 30 credit bureaus running today, Creditinfo has the largest global presence in the field of credit risk management, with a significantly greater footprint than competitors. For decades it has provided business information, risk management and credit bureau solutions to some of the largest, lenders, governments and central banks globally – all with the aim of increasing financial inclusion and generating economic growth by allowing credit access for SMEs and individuals. For more information, please visit www.creditinfo.com

Media Contacts:

Matt Silver

Babel PR for Creditinfo Group Creditinfo@babelpr.com

+44 (0)20 7199 3997

Edwin Urasa appointed new CEO of Creditinfo Tanzania

New CEO Creditinfo Tanzania

Press Release

London, UK.

30/11/2021

Creditinfo Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Edwin Urasa as new CEO and Executive Director of Creditinfo Tanzania effective 01st November 2021. He is replacing Mr. Van Reynders whose tenure ended in April 2021.

Edwin brings 10 years of experience from the local banking industry having spent significant time around credit and risk management, recently before joining he was responsible for the Retail and Micro-SME segment at NBC Bank as Head of Retail Credit.

“I am especially excited to join Creditinfo Tanzania, which has been in operation for the last 9 years and has over the years continued to grow rapidly enabling small to large organizations effectively manage risk and support the government and banking community providing responsible lending in Tanzania. I am looking forward to expanding the companies’ product portfolio and services through application of best practices while leveraging Creditinfo global knowledge and expertise”.

“We are very excited to have Edwin Urasa join us as the new Creditinfo Tanzania CEO. With his vast knowledge and experience in the Tanzanian banking and credit industry, we have no doubt that he will lead Creditinfo Tanzania to greater heights and move the company’s journey forward in pushing our innovative solutions to the Tanzania market as well as pushing one of our core pillars – financial literacy, to the public at large”, says Paul Randall, CEO of Creditinfo Group.

Edwin holds a Bachelor Degree in Commerce (Hons), Majoring in Finance from the University of Dar es Salaam, an MBA from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University-UK and has also several certifications namely, a Mortgage advisor (CeMAP)-UK, Modules in Commercial Credit from Moody’s Analytics-USA, and Risk Management from City University -UK.

ENDS.

PR contacts:

Marketing Manager/ PR for East Africa

Phidi Mwatibo

Email: Phidi.mwatibo@creditinfo.com

Average pay for women grows in Lithuania

The average pay for women has grown in 56 sectors after starting releasing information on gender pay gap. Within a matter of three months women’s average monthly pay increased by EUR 20, compared against an EUR 15 increase for men.

After Sodra (Lithuanian Social Security Authority) started publishing sectoral data on average gender pay gap, women’s average pay has grown in 56 sectors out of 81 within the past three months. Women’s monthly average pay increased from EUR 2 to EUR 325 in various sectors. In 13 sectors women’s pay grew by over 10% despite some economic activities where gender pay gap continued to grow for men, these are: insurance, re-insurance, pension accumulation companies, power generation, gas and air conditioning companies, and the pharmaceutical industry.  

According to the analysis conducted by Creditinfo Lithuania, from April to July women’s average pay grew from 0.1% to 36.1%, or from EUR 2 to EUR 325 per month. In thirteen business sectors, women’s pay increased by over 10%, with the most remarkable growth reported in accommodation (16.8%), catering and supply of beverages (21.6%), gambling or betting industry (36.1%).

An increase from 10 to 14% in women’s average pay was reported in leather production and water transport, postal and courier activities, organisation of travels, sports activities, and events management, as well as several other sectors, manufacturing of coke and refined petrochemicals, cinema and television programme production, wastewater treatment, programme production and broadcasting, manufacturing of chemicals, extraction of oil and gas.

However, from the already listed sectors only in two of them (postal and courier services, oil and gas extraction) women’s average pay is higher than men’s amounting to EUR 1,856 (cf. men’s pay of EUR 1,552) and EUR 2,851 (cf. men’s pay of EUR 2,248), respectively; whereas in all the other sectors men earn more than women on average.

An average men’s pay is EUR 185 higher than women’s, but the gender gap has been narrowing

Despite the narrowing gender pay gap reported from April to July, in Lithuania men used to earn EUR 185 more than women: men’s average pay currently stands at EUR 1,596 against EUR 1,411 for women. Last April the gap reached EUR 190, with men’s average pay standing at EUR 1,581 against women’s EUR 1,391.

Aurimas Kačinskas, CEO of Creditinfo Lithuania, notes that in the absence of a more in-depth analysis, it is not feasible to assess gender pay gap; examination must be made into the types of positions held by men and women in order to identify the reasons behind differences in salaries.

“Publication of average pay is yet another indicator which can be used by future employees or partners to assess companies; knowledge of this information encourages a better understanding and awareness of the specificities of every company”, A. Kačinskas said.

The gap continues to grow in insurance, reinsurance, financial and telecommunication services, and pharmaceutical industry

Against the background of growing women’s average pay in most of the sectors, in 22 economic sectors the gender pay gap is widening. An average women’s pay dropped by 17.9% in insurance, reinsurance, and pension accumulation sector, where men earned EUR 3,179 per month on average compared to EUR 2,284 earned by women. A gender pay gap widened further from 11.1 to 11.5% in research and technical activities, pharmaceutical industry, power and gas supply, and air conditioning.

Gender pay gap continues to enlarge in the beverages’ industry, immovable property, construction of buildings, telecommunications, and financial sectors.

For instance, in telecommunications an average monthly women’s pay in July stood at EUR 1,602 compared against EUR 2,154 for men, in the financial sector these figures were EUR 2,433 and EUR 3,620, respectively.

The yawning gender pay gap is reported in air transport, where men earn EUR 3,932 per month on average, compared with women’s average monthly pay of EUR 2,385. Human resource management experts put this gap down to a higher number of men engaged in the aviation sector in better paid positions of pilots, whereas women work as flight attendants.

Meanwhile, it is worth mentioning that over three months the number of economic sectors with women earning more than men grew from 9 to 11. The sectors of education, libraries, land transport and transport via pipelines, social work, care services, furniture production, postal and courier services, tobacco and metal production were recently joined by fisheries and aquaculture companies, and motor vehicle manufacturing.

Earlier last June it was reported that, as of last April, out of 81 economic sectors in as many as 72 men receive higher pay than women.

For more information please contact:
Aurimas Kačinskas, CEO of Creditinfo Lithuania, (aurimas.kacinskas@creditinfo.lt; +37061810110).

Lithuanian corporate immunisation level is as high as 90% while others are below 30%

The share of immunised staff in different commercial companies may vary several times, the survey by Creditinfo Lithuania suggests. According to Statistics Lithuania (SL), the least immunised retailers (from 36.9 to 52%) work at markets and kiosks. The largest proportion of immunised staff after vaccination (up to 74.7%) has been reported in pharmacies, optics and supermarkets. Among all the sectors, the least active are construction and transport companies, but this indicator may well be explained by a large share of foreign nationals on their staff list.

According to SL data, in terms of the share of immunised staff in the commercial sector, companies selling bread, buns and confectionaries in specialty bakery shops take the last place, with slightly over one third (36.9%) of immunised staff. In other commercial segments, the percentage of fully immunised staff is within the range of 52–64%, with 60–87.2% of staff having received at least one vaccination doze.

Jekaterina Rojaka, Head of Business Development and Strategy at Creditinfo Lithuania, says that after the Statistics Lithuania launched publication of immunisation indicators on a company level, Creditinfo followed suit and started reflecting them in its information systems, while a growing number of users look for information on immunisation of potential business partners.

More staff got infected and recovered from the virus where the vaccination pace is slow

It appears from the publicly available data that in companies with staff delaying vaccination the proportion of staff infected or having recovered from the virus is higher. Obviously, the analysis of recovery indicators among staff suggests that many of these people (up to 12%) are among market and kiosk retailers. Within the category, the sub-category of textile, clothing and footwear retailers stands out where the full immunity (two vaccine dozes) within this group has been acquired by 52% of staff, another 12% of staff became immune after getting infected and recovering from the virus, bringing the overall immunisation level to 64%.

In comparison to workers in supermarkets, pharmacies and optics with 75% of fully vaccinated staff, the immunity after getting infected with the virus was reported from 1 to 5% of the labour force.

The largest number of immunised staff work for the financial services sector, the smallest number – in transport companies

The analysis of companies from other economic sectors suggests that among companies with 70–100% of immunisation level, those engaged in financial activities and services take the lead with 87.1% of immunised staff. Companies at the bottom of this group are from construction (38.7%) and transport sectors (30.3%). According to J. Rojaka, a low level of vaccination there may be explained by a relatively high number of foreign staff working in these sectors, leaving their immunisation indicators outside the scope of the national statistics.

Compared to other economic sectors, extractive industry and agricultural companies are moving at the slowest pace towards the set immunisation target of 70–100%, accounting for 46.6 and 47.8% of immunised staff, respectively.

In restaurants and hotels, which had been very actively promoting vaccination among their staff, at the end of August the immunisation indicator approached to 71.5 and 71.6%, respectively. J. Rojaka notes that these two sectors have achieved the major quality progress in terms of staff vaccination pace, reporting an increase of 45 percentage points in the number of staff vaccinated in August.

For more information:

Jekaterina Rojaka,

Head of Business Development and Strategy, Creditinfo Lithuania

Email: jekaterina.rojaka@creditinfo.lt;

Tel: +370 612 73515

Creditinfo Lithuania included immunization levels into its list of corporate indicators  

After the Department of Statistics launched publication of immunization levels in specific companies, credit office Creditinfo Lithuania immediately included this indicator into its corporate reports. From now on, clients ordering detailed information about a selected company will be able to see the proportion of immunized staff.

“The inclusion of immunization indicator into corporate reports will facilitate a better risk analysis of potential disruptions of activities due to staff illnesses which will help a business partner, or a client make further business decisions”, Aurimas Kačinskas, CEO of Creditinfo Lithuania said.

The first ever publication of immunization levels has demonstrated that, e.g., the largest share of immunized staff (80%) work for the IT sector, and the least immunized staff (as little as 27%) work for transportation companies. In comparison, as many as 80% of Creditinfo Lithuania staff have already been vaccinated.

Moreover, the official information published by the Department of Statistics will soon enable comparison of the share of immunized staff in one enterprise with counterpart organizations in the same business sector. To this end, an additional indicator is published as well – the so-called percentile. For instance, if an enterprise’s percentile is 100, it means that it is among one percent of companies with the highest immunization level. The lower the percentile, the fewer employees have immunity, i.e., have been vaccinated with at least one doze or have recovered from the coronavirus.

According to the Department of Statistics, for the purpose of confidentiality the percentage of immunization is indicated only for those workplaces with over 10 members of staff.

“We believe that monitoring these indicators contributes to the national fight against the Covid-19 pandemic, encouraging companies to take a more proactive approach with regard to staff vaccination”, A. Kačinskas said adding that “we always try to include new indicators into our reports in a timely manner so that our clients could benefit from exhaustive information about other companies”.

As of last May, Creditinfo Lithuania included into the list of monitored indicators information about average gender pay, and soon is planning to introduce yet another one – the sustainability indicator.

TOP 1000: Lithuanian leaders demonstrated outstanding resilience

In Lithuania, Creditinfo actively cooperates with business media, providing diverse analytical information in the form of various sectoral reviews and highlighting trends in the key business performance indicators. Every year the main business media channel, the Verslo žinios (Business News), publishes a list of TOP 1,000 largest Lithuanian companies reflecting on the changes that took place over the last year.

In July, the Verslo žinios published its latest update of TOP 1,000 list of business companies compiled based on Creditinfo’s data and corporate financial statements filed in 2020. Luckily, a positive trend can be seen: as many as 59 percent of companies saw their income grow over the last year, which was stimulated also by decision of the global leaders aiming at economic recovery.

At the courtesy of the Verslo žinios editorial staff we are publishing a part of the exhaustive publication; the link to the original article is provided at the end of the text.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Published on 16 July 2021.

  • The Verslo žinios presents the latest update of TOP 1,000 list of Lithuanian companies.
  • Major businesses have successfully adjusted to the new reality.
  • Business leaders generated 24.7% more pre-tax income in 2020 than before the pandemic.
  • According to Creditinfo’s data, one third of TOP 1,000 companies reduced the likelihood of delayed payments.
  • Biotechnological company UAB “Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics” skyrocketed to the third position on the list.

Contrary to the gloomy pandemic predictions, the pre-tax income of the 1,000 largest Lithuanian companies in 2020 grew by a quarter. Although some of the major corporations were hit really hard by COVID-19, a substantial proportion of them rose up to the challenge transforming themselves and reporting unexpected returns.

These trends are reflected in the TOP 1,000 list of the largest Lithuanian companies drawn jointly by the Verslo žinios and Creditinfo based on income data for 2020. The list includes companies which filed their financial statements in time, i.e., by 31 May, with the Centre of Registers (CR).

Income plummeted against growing profit

Traditionally, the TOP 1,000 list is dominated by companies from three economic sectors, such as: wholesale and retail (381 company), manufacturing (263 companies), transportation and storage (136 companies). All these taken together account for more than three fourths of all the companies on the list.

Almost 500 of businesses are located in Vilnius county, another third operates in Kaunas and Klaipėda counties (223 and 107 companies, respectively). The list includes 76 companies with fewer than 10 employees.

Last year 1,000 of the largest Lithuanian companies generated EUR 51.3 bln. income, i.e., 1.3% less than in 2019. However, in aggregate, these companies earned EUR 3.3 bln. of pre-tax profit, which is an increase of 24.7% from 2019.

Profit of major companies grew the fastest

The growth of TOP 1,000 companies was far more robust than that of the reminder businesses. According to preliminary estimates of the Department of Statistics, in 2020 in Lithuania non-financial companies generated EUR 96.3 bln. income and EUR 6.7 bln. pre-tax profit: in comparison to 2019, the income shrank by 0.4%, while pre-tax profit grew by 3.9%.

Last year 10 companies passed a symbolic threshold of 0.5 bln. of sales income, five of which are retail or wholesale companies. Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics, UAB skyrocketed to the third place on the list, reporting EUR 1.26 bln. in turnover.

“Despite the prevailing trend of moderately shrinking income amongst the largest 1,000 Lithuanian companies compared against 2019, and a decreasing number of staff, companies generated almost 25% higher profit before tax. An obvious leader in this category is the biotechnological company Thermo Fisher Scientific Baltics, UAB – a manufacturer of COVID-19 reagents and vaccine components. Its pre-tax profit reached EUR 472.6 mln., thus securing the company the first place among the leading companies in terms of this indicator”, said Jekaterina Rojaka, head of business development and strategy at Creditinfo.

According to Indrė Genytė-Pikčienė, chief economist at INVL Asset Management, UAB, a more rapid profit growth among the top 1,000 companies demonstrates the success of major companies in making the best out of the pandemic situation.

Usually, due to the advantage of scale, large companies have more leverage and freedom of manoeuvre than the smaller ones in the face of unexpected circumstances, when they have to negotiate with creditors, suppliers, and other partners”, she explained.

The original publication may be accessed here: https://vz.lt/finansai-apskaita/2021/07/16/top-1000-lietuvos-verslo-lyderiai-parode-neitiketina-atsparuma

Authors:

Eglė Markevičienė

Jovita Budreikienė

Creditinfo launches SME blended scorecard in Kenya

Credit information leader launches pan-African SME initiative, ahead of global rollout

LONDON, UK, 21st July 2021Creditinfo Group, the leading global credit information and decision analytics provider, is today announcing the launch of a scorecard solution tailored for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through its unique approach to data and algorithms, this scorecard will help financial institutions improve their credit assessment and facilitate financing to the SME market, which has typically been less able to access finance.

Creditinfo, recognizing the importance of SME risk assessment across the world is aiming to roll out a global solution to address this challenge. The company will first launch the SME scorecard in Kenya, ahead of a wider rollout across countries in Africa, and several other key economies across the globe.

The unique modeling approach Creditinfo have developed significantly reduces, and in some cases eliminates, the human effort needed to assess customers’ risk profile based on credit data​. It is delivered in a software platform which unifies, streamlines, automates and centralizes the risk evaluation process. Creditinfo’s SME scorecard is considerably stronger at predicting business failure than existing traditional models.

Burak Kilicoglu, Director of Global Markets at Creditinfo, commented, “SMEs drive innovation and push digitalization forward for many people by providing services to underserved segments of the population and creating job opportunities. SME scorecards will accelerate access to finance for the benefit of whole economic ecosystem. At Creditinfo we have access to a wealth of credit bureau data as a starting point, and so are uniquely positioned to offer this solution in global markets.”

Kamau Kunyiha, CEO of Creditinfo CRB Kenya, added, “Kenya is the most dynamic and receptive market for SME lending innovation, demonstrated by the successful adoption of mobile wallets and microloans. We look forward to seeing the economic impact of this new solution as it comes into full effect and we see more capital flowing through the SME economy.”

-ENDS-

About Creditinfo

Established in 1997 and headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland, Creditinfo is a provider of credit information and risk management solutions worldwide. As one of the fastest-growing companies in its field, Creditinfo facilitates access to finance, through intelligent information, software and decision analytics solutions.

With more than 30 credit bureaus running today, Creditinfo has the most considerable global presence in this field of credit risk management, with a significantly greater footprint than competitors. For decades it has provided business information, risk management and credit bureau solutions to some of the largest, lenders, governments and central banks globally to increase financial inclusion and generate economic growth by allowing credit access for SMEs and individuals.

For more information, please visit www.creditinfo.com

PR contacts:

Marketing Manager/ PR for East Africa

Phidi Mwatibo

Email: Phidi.mwatibo@creditinfo.com