business
Visa and CIBI Team Up to Expand Responsible Credit Access for Underserved Filipinos
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Access to credit remains a challenge for many Filipinos who are active contributors to the economy but lack a formal credit history. Addressing this long-standing gap, Visa and CIBI Information, Inc. have entered into a strategic alliance aimed at widening responsible access to credit across the Philippines.
Formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding, the partnership brings together Visa’s global expertise in digital payments and analytics with CIBI’s role as the country’s pioneering credit bureau. Together, the two organizations plan to explore and pilot data-driven credit solutions designed specifically to support “thin-file” consumers, or individuals with limited or no traditional credit records.
Tackling the thin-file challenge in the Philippines
Despite steady income streams, many Filipinos remain underserved by the financial system. This includes gig workers, BPO employees, and overseas Filipino workers, who often face difficulties accessing loans or credit cards due to incomplete credit histories. At the same time, banks and digital lenders are under pressure to grow their customer base while managing risk responsibly.
The Visa and CIBI collaboration aims to bridge this gap by improving how creditworthiness is assessed. Visa brings to the table its Credit Lab, an end-to-end solution that combines fraud management with alternative data enrichment. This includes insights from telco usage, utilities, devices, and other behavioral data, all of which can help paint a more accurate picture of a consumer’s financial reliability.
CIBI complements this with its extensive experience and trusted position in the Philippine credit information space. By integrating these capabilities, the partnership seeks to help financial institutions make more informed credit decisions without compromising risk standards.
Practical benefits for financial institutions
One of the key goals of the alliance is to equip banks, issuers, and digital lenders with tools that enable responsible growth. The joint initiatives are expected to unlock several advantages for business-to-business partners.
First, issuers can expand credit acquisition by confidently approving credit for thin-file consumers. Enhanced data models provide a deeper understanding of applicant behavior, allowing lenders to responsibly onboard new customers who may have been previously excluded.
Second, the partnership supports improved SME risk assessment. Small and medium enterprises often struggle to secure financing due to limited documentation or fragmented data. With clearer visibility into SME borrowers, lenders can make more accurate and scalable lending decisions that support business growth.
Third, financial institutions gain access to data-driven industry insights that can help grow portfolios. Deeper market intelligence allows lenders to identify emerging segments, spot new growth opportunities, and refine credit strategies in an increasingly competitive market.
Collectively, these outcomes align with the shared objective of strengthening the Philippine financial ecosystem through trusted data and analytics-led innovation.
A shared commitment to inclusion and trust
Leaders from both organizations emphasized that the partnership is rooted in a shared belief that access to credit should be inclusive, responsible, and empowering.
Jeffrey Navarro, Country Manager of Visa Philippines, highlighted the importance of addressing long-standing gaps in credit scoring. He noted that many Filipinos remain thin-file despite actively participating in the economy. Through the partnership, Visa aims to complement its Credit Lab capabilities with CIBI’s leadership as a credit bureau to develop solutions that expand access to credit and set new benchmarks for the industry. According to Navarro, the collaboration reflects Visa’s broader commitment to inclusive growth and strengthening the digital economy.
For CIBI, the alliance reinforces its mission as a nation-building partner that uses trusted data to unlock opportunity. Pia Arellano, President and CEO of CIBI Information, Inc., shared that the organization believes data has the power to enable individuals and small businesses to grow, recover, and contribute more meaningfully to the economy. She described the partnership with Visa as deeply aligned with CIBI’s purpose of building a more inclusive, transparent, and trusted financial ecosystem.
Arellano also emphasized that access to credit must come with empowerment. Beyond signing an agreement, she said the partnership affirms a shared responsibility to use data wisely, enable inclusion, and help build a stronger financial future for the Philippines.
What the next 12 months will bring
Over the coming year, Visa and CIBI plan to explore new credit use cases, develop industry insights on emerging credit behaviors, and support financial literacy initiatives across the country. Both organizations agree that success will ultimately be measured by how many Filipinos are included in the financial system in a secure, responsible, and sustainable way.
Navarro and Arellano both expressed optimism about the long-term impact of the collaboration, noting that its benefits are expected to extend well beyond the initial 12-month period.
As the Philippines continues its shift toward a more digital and inclusive economy, the Visa and CIBI partnership signals an important step forward. By combining global technology with local data expertise, the alliance positions both organizations at the forefront of advancing responsible credit access and strengthening trust in the country’s financial ecosystem.
