Visa, a global leader in digital payments, and CIBI Information Inc. (CIBI), the Philippines’ pioneering credit bureau, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop and pilot data-driven credit solutions.
The exclusive partnership aims to expand responsible access to credit for underserved Filipinos, particularly “thin-file” consumers who have limited credit histories.
The alliance brings together Visa’s global payments technology and its Credit Lab expertise with CIBI’s credit bureau position in the country. Credit Lab is an end-to-end solution combining fraud detection management with alternative data enrichment, using sources like telco, utilities, device, and behavioral consumer data to assist clients in credit decisioning.
The initiative addresses the need among banks, digital lenders, and issuers to expand acquisition responsibly and manage risk with deeper intelligence, as many Filipinos—including gig workers, BPO employees, and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)—remain underserved due to limited credit histories.
“Credit scoring has long been a key gap in our industry, with many Filipinos remaining ‘thin-file’ despite their active participation in the economy,” said Visa Philippines country manager Jeffrey Navarro.
“Through this partnership, we look forward to complementing Visa’s Credit Lab with CIBI’s leadership as a credit bureau to innovate solutions that expand access to credit and set new industry benchmarks. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to inclusive growth and strengthening the digital economy,” he said.
