CRIF Unveils its ESG Analytics Solution to Help FIs Access Sustainability Data

CRIF Unveils its ESG Analytics Solution to Help FIs Access Sustainability Data

European consumer and business credit data provider CRIF launched its ESG Analytics solution this week. The technology will give banks and financial institutions in the U.K. the ability to quickly and accurately assess the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) profiles of their U.K. and Europe-based suppliers, partners, and customers.

ESG Analytics draws on more than 130 key indicators from data sources in the U.K. and Europe. The technology analyzes information on issues such as water usage, waste production, emissions, and health and safety records, as well as modern slavery and inclusiveness. Financial institutions and banks will only need the U.K. or Europe-based business’ VAT or registration number in order to obtain an ESG score on the company. ESG Analytics also provides granular environmental, social and governance indicators – all available without requiring direct interaction with the company being reviewed.

“Considering the growing attention of the regulatory bodies toward ESG compliance in the EU but also in the U.K., ESG Analytics enables banks, insurers and corporates to understand the impact of businesses they work with today and helps to inform their decision-making in this ever-more important area of work,” CRIF Regional Director for the U.K. and Ireland Sara Costantini said. “And by working with regulatory bodies all around the world, we ensure that we remain at the forefront of regulation so we can pass this knowledge onto U.K. financial institutions.”

ESG Analytics will complement CRIF’s current ESG service, Synesgy, launched last fall. The solution enables businesses in the U.K. to assess the sustainability of their supply chains. Synesgy also helps companies enhance decision-making during the procurement process, avoid operational and reputational risk, and provide greater transparency with regard to ESG.

“Climate change is the defining issue of our time and every one of us has to play our part in protecting the planet for future generations,” Costantini said when Synesgy was launched in September. “For businesses this is no exception. As customers look to companies that are a force for good, it’s crucial that businesses understand both their own ESG performance and that of their entire supply chain.”

Headquartered in Bologna, Italy, CRIF made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope 2014. In the years since, the company has grown into a major international credit bureau and business information provider with more than 10,500 FIs; 1,000+ insurance companies; 90,000+ business customers; and 1,000,000+ consumers in 50 countries using its services.


Photo by Jack Carey

CRIF and Know Your Customer Team Up with Ping An OneConnect Bank to Boost Digital Onboarding for SMEs

CRIF and Know Your Customer Team Up with Ping An OneConnect Bank to Boost Digital Onboarding for SMEs
  • CRIF and Know Your Customer will help Ping An OneConnect (Hong Kong) Limited enhance digital onboarding for its SME customers.
  • CRIF and Know Your Customer have collaborated since forging a global commercial partnership in 2021.
  • Headquartered in Bologna, Italy, CRIF made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope in 2014.

Banking credit information provider CRIF and regtech Know Your Customer have partnered to help Ping An OneConnect Bank (Hong Kong) Limited (“PAOB”) improve the digital onboarding process for its SME customers.

CRIF and Know Your Customer have developed a new system that uses real-time registry connections to automatically retrieve documents and map shareholders. The solution provides a centralized place to integrate data from multiple official sources which enables PAOB to streamline the onboarding process for its clients. In addition to leveraging automation to lower costs and reduce the amount of manual labor involved, the new offering supports on-going monitoring requirements, as well. Both CRIF and Know Your Customer offer a wide range of compliance solutions: CRIF provides a portfolio of business data and intelligence, including credit and ESG data. Know Your Customer provides real-time registry connections, Ultimate Beneficial Owner mapping across borders, and modular workflow capabilities.

Ivan Chow, Head of Strategy & Partnerships at PAOB highlighted the challenges facing regional SMEs in the immediate, post-COVID economic environment. Chow noted that the re-opening of places like Hong Kong is not only likely to feature increased business activity, but also increased demand for operating capital financing. “The partnership with CRIF and Know Your Customer will further enhance our customer-centric experience to the SME customers,” Chow said.

The partnership between CRIF and Know Your Customer extends back to 2021. The two companies announced a global commercial partnership in August of that year to help financial institutions pursue their digital transformation objectives. The alliance will combine CRIF’s KYC data offering with Know Your Customer’s platform to facilitate digital corporate onboarding for financial institutions. The agreement also featured a strategic financial investment in Know Your Customer. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. The company said the capital will help it further develop the AI and automation features of its technology.

Founded in 1988, CRIF is headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company operates in more than 40 countries and includes more than 10,000 financial institutions and 600+ insurance companies among its customers. CRIF made its Finovate debut at FinovateEurope in 2014.


Photo by Jimmy Chan

CRIF Partners with Swoop Funding to Help Small Businesses Unlock Working Capital

CRIF Partners with Swoop Funding to Help Small Businesses Unlock Working Capital

Late last month, credit management solutions provider CRIF announced plans to team up with Swoop Funding, a business funding and savings platform. CRIF anticipates the partnership will help the U.K.’s community of 5.9 million SMEs access more funding and ultimately grow.

Swoop will leverage CRIF’s Credit Passport business credit scoring technology that provides real time credit scores for SMEs. This tool will benefit both Swoop and the small businesses themselves. Swoop will help match businesses with funding and savings products. For businesses with lower credit scores, this will help them potentially find previously unavailable sources for working capital. The partnership will also offer SMEs insights into their businesses’ financial performance and viability, and help them see how lenders view them.

“We designed Credit Passport to remove friction in the lending decisioning process and help SMEs get the right funding for them, when they need it, as well as to help educate businesses so they can build the most financially healthy and resilient companies,” said CRIF Realtime Chief Product Officer Glen Keller. “CRIF’s partnership with Swoop puts us at the heart of the U.K.’s SMEs with useful information at a time when they need it the most and will really make a difference to the market.”

CRIF’s Credit Passport helps bridge the gap between the financial industry and business owners. The tool leverages open banking to offer lenders a view into SME’s credit quality and will give Swoop’s SME clients insight into their own business credit score.

Swoop was founded in 2018. The company’s business funding and savings platform helps SMEs discover the right funding solution– ranging from loans to equity to grants– to fit their need. Swoop also has a business financial management (BFM) spin, and offers tools to help businesses identify savings opportunities. The company has matched its more than 79,000 customers with over $187 million in funding.

Italy-based CRIF was founded in 1988 and has more than 5,500 employees working across 70+ subsidiary companies on four continents. The firm counts 10,500+ financial institutions, 600 insurance companies, and 82,000 businesses as clients. In all, one million consumers in 50 countries use CRIF’s services. In 2020, CRIF acquired PFM company Strands to complement its customer acquisition, portfolio management, and credit collection tools. Last year, CRIF participated as an investor in nine fintech funding rounds.


Photo by Ketut Subiyanto from Pexels

CRIF to Acquire Strands

CRIF to Acquire Strands

Credit management solutions provider CRIF has agreed to acquire PFM company Strands for an undisclosed amount. The deal will be finalized “in the coming weeks.”

The union will bring Strands’ personal financial management and business financial management solutions to CRIF’s client base that includes 6,300 banks, 55,000 businesses, and 310,000 consumers across 50 countries.

Strands’ technology will complement CRIF’s customer acquisition, portfolio management, and credit collection tools that help forecast market developments, improve business performance, reduce credit risks, and prevent fraud.

According to CRIF chairman Carlo Gherardi, the acquisition will “allow CRIF to create a worldwide digital solutions provider for open banking.” He added, “Through this deal, CRIF will combine its market knowledge and expertise with an innovative and well-positioned fintech player, creating synergies that will help our global clients to keep on growing and innovating through their digital transformation journey.”

For its part, Strands brings to the table 700 bank clients serving 100 million end customers. Strands CEO Erik Brieva said that the deal will help fuel Strands’ mission “to enable banks to anticipate customer needs and proactively suggest next-best-actions.”

Strands was founded in 2004 and has since raised more than $55 million in two rounds of funding. The company has offices in Barcelona, Spain; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; and at its headquarters location in Miami, Florida. Strands’ most recent appearance on the Finovate stage was last year, where it demonstrated a cash flow solution for small businesses alongside Mastercard.

With more than 5,000 employees, CRIF is headquartered in Italy and was founded in 1988. Today’s deal is the company’s seventh acquisition, following its purchase of Vision-Net in 2018. CRIF demonstrated its Credit Framework solution at FinovateEurope 2014.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • GreenKey Technologies Secures Strategic Investment from IPC.
  • “Hello USA!” eToro Goes Live in America.

Around the web

  • Russia’s Alfa-Bank joins Marco Polo Network to offer blockchain-based trade and supply chain finance services to its clients.
  • Credit and business information systems specialist CRIF acquires majority stake in digital identity firm Inventia.
  • Klarna partners with Canadian e-commerce and in-store point-of-sale financing specialist PayBright.
  • Ping Identity wins Best Identity Management Solution at the 2019 SC Awards.
  • Arcanum Technology named a finalist in the competition for a spot in the TAG FinTech Innovation Challenge’s 2019 class.
  • Avaloq joins the Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA).

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News

On Finovate.com

  • “Gusto, Formerly ZenPayroll, Closes on $50 Million Funding”
  • “U.K.-Based Yoyo Rolls Out Mobile Wallet in U.S.”

Around the web

  • B2B commerce technology company Handshake teams up with Xero.
  • Braintree launches new extension of its v.zero SDK in partnership with Magento Commerce.
  • CRIF Credit Solutions unveils new, fully responsive website geared toward international audiences.
  • Business Insider names Kabbage, Twilio, and Prosper as 3 of 42 startups that grew to be worth billions in 2015.
  • Top Image Systems to deploy eFLOW Digital Mailroom at GED Bulgaria.
  • NerdWallet’s five financial tips from robo-adviser CEOs feature insights from leaders of Betterment, Wealthfront, TradeKing Advisors, FutureAdvisor, and Personal Capital.
  • Nine months after launching, One Touch from PayPal reaches 10 million users in 23 countries.

This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News: March 4, 2015

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgSecureIDNews takes a look at the partnership between FinSphere and Visa.
  • Fiserv launches four new modules for its Financial Crime Risk Management platform.
  • iQuantifi wins “Best in Show” at Bank Innovation 2015 DEMOvation Challenge.
  • Silanis earns spot on KMWorld’s “100 Companies that Matter in Knowledge Management” list for 2015.
  • IT Business Edge interviews Flint Mobile CEO Greg Goldfarb.
  • American Banker considers the benefits of banks using Ripple.
  • Innovation in Finance interviews CoinJar at FinovateEurope in London.
  • Capital Bank’s OpenSky Puts CRIF’s CreditFlow & StrategyOne to the Test.
  • Inc: How OnDeck Plans to Make Alternative Lending a Blue Chip Business.
  • Inc. lists Bionym as one of 8 Canadian startups to watch out for in 2015.
  • Yodlee now provides data APIs to nearly 50 fintech applications and services in the personal wealth-management space.
  • Braintree expands its Asia-Pac operations into Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
  • PandoDaily: PayNearMe partners with Grameen America to help lift women out of poverty.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Alumni News– October 28, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgSilanis Technology launches eSignLive for Sharepoint.
  • CRIF announces acquisition of Dun & Bradstreet UAE in Dubai.
  • National Health Service website, NHS Choices, chooses Quill from Narrative Science.
  • Check Point Software announces availability of Check Point Capsule, a mobile solution that offers protection for business data and devices.
  • InComm partners with Groupo BB e Mapfre to enable consumers to purchase insurance from local vending machines and retailers in Brazil.
  • BillGuard now uses geolocation to detect credit card fraud.
  • H&R Block turns to Social Money to promote goal-based savings for Emerald Card customers.
  • Check out a spooky clip from Moven about paranormal spending activity.
  • Southern Bank Selects Malauzai Software for Mobile Banking to Ensure Bill Pay Integration, Provide Customers with PicturePay.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Alumni News– June 6, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgEverybody into the algos! Quantopian launches open beta program; announces $100 million in trades guided by platform algorithms.
  • CRIF announces acquisition of majority stake in High Mark Credit Information Services.
  • Financeit closes $C35 million renewable purchase facility and a $C5 million warehouse line facility with Pacific & Western Bank of Canada.
  • Wealthfront reaches more than $1 billion assets under management.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

OTP Banka Slovakia to Deploy CRIF Credit Framework

Thumbnail image for CRIFLogo.jpg

Add one more bank to the hundreds of financial institutions in more than 20 countries currently relying on CRIF to manage their lending business.

OTP Banka Slovakia announced this week that it was deploying the CRIF Credit Framework, replacing its old loan approval system with a technology that represents “global best practices in lending processes and risk assessment,” according to bank CRO, Peter Leško.

In addition to the technology itself, CRIF’s experience in helping banks make the transition to more sophisticated loan origination and credit management solutions also helped OTP Banka Slovakia make the switch. Leško cited CRIF’s “flexible software framework” and the company’s ability to “act on site in local language” as key to providing both the support and the independence the bank wants.

This last point echoes what we heard from CRIF in the days leading up to their Finovate debut in February at FinovateEurope 2014. “Banks are more and more requesting the ability to make changes,” CRIF marketing director Sheila Donahue explained in a pre-demo briefing. “They don’t want to be dependent on vendors or have their hands tied.” Read more from our briefing with CRIF here.
OTP Banka Slovakia is part of the OTP Group. Based in Bratislava and with more than 600 employees, the bank has a network of 63 branches throughout Slovakia. OTP Banka Slovakia reported assets of €1.4 billion as of the end of 2013.
CRIF was founded in Italy in 1988. The company’s 2013 revenues were €305 million. More than 2,400 banks and financial institutions worldwide use CRIF’s technology daily.

Finovate Alumni News– April 9, 2014

  • Finovate-F-Logo.jpgMichigan Education Association selects Billhighway to improve membership experience.
  • ProfitStars’ iPay Solutions Resource Center receives NACHA’s 2014 PayItGreen Award.
  • miiCard launches IDaaS for Lenders, a solution that combines ID proofing, bureau data, bank data, & authentication.
  • CardFlight launches SwipeSimple to offer a co-branded mobile POS product to merchants.
  • LA Parent features Oink among its “Cool Tools.”
  • OTP Banka Slovakia to deploy CRIF Credit Framework.
  • LendUp launches in Mississippi, the state with the highest percentage of unbanked and underbanked households in the U.S.
  • Rippleshot CEO Canh Tran to join Chicago-area startups at White House summit on entrepreneurialism. See Rippleshot demo at FinovateSpring in San Jose.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.

Finovate Alumni News– February 26, 2014

  • Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Thumbnail image for Finovate-F-Logo.jpgOn Budget wins 2014 Paybefore Award as “One to Watch.”
  • United Bank Limited picks VoiceTrust for voice biometrics.
  • InComm partners with Asia-based Money Online to launch POS-activated gift card mall solutions in Southeast Asia.
  • Rezzcard to integrate with InComm’s Cashtie to enable Rezzcard cardholders to pay their rent in cash at over 70,000 retail locations.
  • American Banker reports: Western Union to use NICE Customer Analytics. Come see its new tech at FinovateSpring.
  • Xero reaches 100,000 paying customers in Australia.
  • Check out an interview with BRIDGEi2i Director and Co-Founder, Ashish Sharma.
  • SecondMarket considering U.S.-based bitcoin exchange.
  • Live Gamer customers to get access to MasterCard’s MasterPass digital payment service.
  • authenticID enhances ID proofing technology to help combat cloned credit card fraud.
  • Green Dot wins top honors in four categories at 2014 Paybefore awards.
  • Global Banking & Finance Review takes a look at Kalixa Group’s American expansion.
This post will be updated throughout the day as news and developments emerge. You can also follow all the alumni news headlines on the Finovate Twitter account.