Country: USA
Year: 2011
Concept
- Alternative credit scoring: For consumers in emerging economies who do not have access to bank accounts, First Access adopts an alternative model for credit scoring by analyzing mobile transaction history (i.e. frequency of recharges, data usage, etc.)
- Digitization in the cloud: Data is stored in the cloud and analyzed in real-time to assess credit scores quickly
- Revenue model: $1.25 is charged per transaction to lenders, covering the cost of data. First Access’ revenue model is volume based
Consumer Benefits
- Time and cost savings: In emerging economies, credit scoring is subjective and labour-intensive, using a cloud-based platform with real-time analysis and recommendations allows for time and cost saving (preliminary estimation is that the lender saves $12-$16 per evaluation)
- Outreach to the unbanked: For unbanked consumers who do not have a traditional credit score, an alternative model allows micro-financing institutions to reach the unbanked population
Key facts and figures
- First Access collaborates with FINCA to create a more sophisticated alternative credit scoring model to enhance FINCA’s outreach to excluded populations
- First Access has raised more than $2M in funding to date