The way UAE residents manage and understand their credit is undergoing a major transformation with Etihad Credit Bureau (ECB) rolling out sweeping reforms designed to give customers more control over their financial data and a clearer view of how their credit behaviour shapes opportunity.

The launch of a redesigned mobile app and web portal in 2025 marks the most customer-focused change in the bureau's history. What was once a technical process hidden behind lending decisions is now being brought directly to consumers' fingertips. Through the new platforms, users can explore their credit score in real time, understand what affects it, and even run simulations to see how future payments or borrowing might change it.

“This is about empowerment,” said Marwan Ahmad Lutfi, director general of Etihad Credit Bureau.“For the first time, every resident can see what lenders see-and more importantly, understand how to improve their financial health. We want people to make decisions from a place of knowledge, not uncertainty.”

Lutfi explained that this customer-facing evolution is a natural next step for an institution that has already established the foundations of credit transparency in the UAE.“In our first decade, we built trust between lenders and borrowers through data. Now we are deepening that trust by putting information in the hands of the people it matters to most-the customers themselves,” he said.

The bureau's upgraded platforms are intuitive and interactive, designed to make complex financial data accessible to everyone. The new app also integrates cheque clearance services and offers personalized insights on how to maintain or improve a user's score.“Our goal is to turn what used to be a technical report into a financial companion,” Lutfi said.“If you pay your bills on time, if you manage your credit cards responsibly, you should be able to see and benefit from that instantly.”

But ECB's transformation goes far beyond technology. The Bureau is also expanding what counts toward a credit score, moving beyond traditional bank data to include real estate obligations, utility bills, telecom payments, and, soon, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) transactions.“People's financial lives are more diverse than ever,” Lutfi noted.“A responsible tenant or someone who consistently pays their phone and electricity bills deserves that reliability to be recognized. This inclusion makes the system fairer and more reflective of how people actually live and spend today.”

The change could be especially significant for young professionals, freelancers, and new residents who may not have a long banking history but still demonstrate financial discipline in other areas.“We're helping more people become visible to the financial system,” said Lutfi.“That visibility can open doors-to credit, housing, entrepreneurship, and long-term financial confidence.”

Since its first credit report was issued in 2014, Etihad Credit Bureau has become one of the UAE's most important financial institutions. In its inaugural year, it processed over one million reports; today, that number exceeds 17 million annually. The Bureau is now connected to 119 data providers, including banks, telecom companies, government entities, utilities, and courts. It has played a critical role in improving lending transparency, reducing defaults, and promoting responsible borrowing.

“Our data infrastructure has strengthened the financial system from the ground up,” said Lutfi.“It has made lending more transparent, improved risk management for banks, and helped customers understand the value of a good credit record. Now, we're taking that same infrastructure and making it more personal-so every user can see how their actions translate into trust.”

The bureau's decade-long success has also been symbolically recognized. Through the Central Bank of the UAE, a commemorative ten-dirham silver coin was issued to mark its tenth anniversary. The coin's design reflects the Bureau's rebranding and its evolution from a data provider into a digital enabler of financial empowerment.“The coin is a small but powerful symbol,” Lutfi said.“It represents the trust we've built over the past decade-and our promise to deepen that trust through innovation and inclusion.”

Lutfi believes these reforms will create a more financially aware and resilient society.“When people understand their credit, they make better financial choices. And when that happens at scale, it benefits the entire economy,” he said.“We want to create a culture where being financially responsible isn't just rewarded-it's understood.”

For customers, the message is clear: their credit story is now theirs to manage. Every payment, every decision, every transaction feeds into a transparent score that they can monitor and influence.“Credit shouldn't be a mystery,” Lutfi said.“It should be a mirror-one that helps you see where you stand and how to move forward.”

“By widening the data pool and making credit reporting fully interactive, Etihad Credit Bureau is effectively democratising financial knowledge. It's a shift from credit assessment to credit education-and, ultimately, credit empowerment,” says Sajith Kumar P.K, group CEO and MD of IBMC Financial Professionals Group.

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