Afghanistan Credit Bureau

AFS envisions supporting a secure credit information agency to be used by large organizations such as financial institutions when reviewing financing requests, telecom companies reviewing post-paid applications, and employers reviewing job candidates. Credit information will be gathered automatically from participating financial institutions in order to qualify them for access to data.

International examples of similar agencies have demonstrated time and again that private sector companies ensure the highest standards and long term sustainability by charging a nominal fee per credit report. However, careful regulatory and independent oversight is critical to ensure confidentiality and authenticity of information collected. Thus, through a close public-private partnership, the strengths of both the government and the private sector can be leveraged to deliver this urgently needed service to Afghanistan.

For this project, AFS has partnered with Etibar- an Afghan company that currently provides address verification among other authentication services as well as bill delivery. By implementing international standard technologies, training and managing a select group of high caliber professionals, AFS and Etibar are well positioned to lead the way in credit information services in Afghanistan. AFS is currently considering international donor support to fund a number of pre-requisites, thereby opening the door for Afghanistan’s financial future.