Etihad Credit Bureau: Credit Score 3i now rates UAE newcomers and first-time borrowers

People with little or no borrowing record in the United Arab Emirates, including recent arrivals, can now receive a credit score under a new model unveiled by Etihad Credit Bureau, the federal entity in charge of credit information and analytics. The bureau announced the launch in a statement on Thursday, October 29.

Called Credit Score 3i and presented at the bureau’s new Abu Dhabi office, the model stretches the review of a person’s credit record to as long as 36 months. Its predecessor stopped at 24.

Two scales, two segments

Two separate scoring models sit behind the product, and which one applies depends on how long a customer has been borrowing. Those with an established record are graded from 300 to 850.

A narrower scale, from 300 to 650, covers eligible first-time borrowers and people new to the country whose histories are still short. The bureau said the model also weighs a broader set of indicators tied to repayment and financial commitments.

Director General Marwan Ahmad Lutfi said the tool aims to back fuller risk assessments and encourage responsible lending and borrowing.

“The new model analyses positive practices, recognises sustained improvements in credit behaviour, and reflects these improvements in the score within six months after defaults have been settled.”

Six-month recovery window

That six-month horizon is not a promise, the bureau cautioned. Whether a score actually rises after a settled default hinges on how the person behaves afterwards, their wider profile and the model’s own rules. Any fresh default or other setback can wipe out gains, meaning another stretch of good conduct is needed.

Each credit report will now list the positive and negative drivers of a score, along with suggestions that could lift it.

Lenders and other authorised users, a group that takes in eligible fintech firms and digital platforms, will get richer data for their decisions. Final approval of any loan still rests with each lender’s own policies, the bureau said.

11.6 million records

By September 2026, roughly 11.6 million people and companies featured in the bureau’s active financial database. It also held 20.2 million live credit contracts and 25.3 million IBANs in active use.

Some one million credit reports and scores were issued in 2015; the 2025 total passed 17 million. This year the bureau also began reporting Buy Now, Pay Later accounts alongside other short-term borrowing.

Scores are available through www.etihadbureau.ae and the bureau’s app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. Registration, identity checks and any fees follow the procedures the bureau publishes on its official channels.