Etihad Credit Bureau (ECB) is set to reshape how UAE residents understand and manage their financial health, with sweeping reforms aimed at giving consumers more visibility and control over their credit data. The changes, announced ahead of the launch of a redesigned mobile app and web portal in 2025, mark the most significant shift in the bureau’s operations since its establishment.
The updated platforms will allow users to check their credit scores in real time, explore the factors affecting them, and run simulations showing how new loans, repayments, or missed deadlines could influence future results. ECB Director General Marwan Ahmad Lutfi said the move is intended to bring clarity to an area that was historically confined to lenders.
“This is about empowerment,” Lutfi said. “For the first time, every resident can see what lenders see—and understand how to improve their financial health. We want people to make decisions from a place of knowledge, not uncertainty.”
Lutfi said the transition reflects the bureau’s evolution over the past decade. After establishing a data-driven system that strengthened trust between lenders and borrowers, ECB is now placing the same information directly in the hands of residents. The new app will feature interactive tools, cheque-clearance services, and tailored insights designed to help users track and improve their credit standing.
“Our goal is to turn what used to be a technical report into a financial companion,” Lutfi said. “If you pay bills on time or manage credit cards responsibly, you should be able to see the impact immediately.”
Beyond the technological overhaul, ECB is also expanding the range of data used to calculate credit scores. In addition to banking activity, the system will now account for real estate commitments, utility payments, telecom bills, and soon, Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) transactions. Lutfi said this change reflects modern financial behaviour and ensures a wider group of residents receive acknowledged credit histories.
The expansion is expected to benefit young professionals, freelancers, and newcomers to the UAE who may not have extensive banking records but consistently meet other financial obligations. “We’re helping more people become visible to the financial system,” Lutfi said. “That visibility can open doors—to credit, housing, entrepreneurship, and long-term financial stability.”
Since issuing its first credit report in 2014, ECB has become a pillar of the UAE’s financial landscape. It now processes more than 17 million reports annually and is linked to 119 data sources, including banks, utilities, telecom firms, government entities, and courts. Its role in improving lending transparency was recently recognized through a commemorative ten-dirham silver coin issued by the Central Bank to mark its tenth anniversary.
Sajith Kumar P.K, group CEO and managing director of IBMC Financial Professionals Group, said the reforms represent a major step toward financial inclusion. By widening the data pool and making reporting interactive, he noted, ECB is shifting the focus from credit assessment to financial education—ensuring residents have the tools to understand and shape their credit futures.
