Ms Crystal Saw [left], CEO of CRIF OMESTI, pictured with the official CRA licence.

CRIF OMESTI Sdn Bhd has obtained a credit reporting agency (CRA) licence in Malaysia from the Ministry of Finance Malaysia. CRIF OMESTI is a joint investment between CRIF and OMESTI Holdings Berhad, which is wholly-owned by Omesti Berhad, a public listed company in Malaysia. The operation will allow CRIF to extend its global coverage to Malaysia as a licensed CRA to provide credit reports and business information services for financial institutions, corporations, and SMEs.

“The credit reporting/information space is an area that we believe holds significant potential, not just in Malaysia but across the region. We were therefore keen to increase our footprint, hence the joint investment with CRIF, where we hold a 30 percent direct stake at present,” says Mah Xian-Zhen, Director of CRIF OMESTI Sdn Bhd.

“As a licensed credit reporting agency in Malaysia, CRIF will deploy its business information platform technology and its state-of-the-art credit scoring and analytics to the Malaysian market, to raise the bar for business information services, and raise the market to the next level of digital transformation journey,” commented Crystal Saw, CEO of CRIF OMESTI.

Since commencing its journey into East Asian markets in 2005, CRIF has recognised that the fragmented information framework of many of these countries are key issues to address in order to achieve financial inclusion.

“When it comes to the SME segment of the market, many business owners are refused loans based on criteria that do not necessarily explain how the business is doing. Reliable credit reporting and access to verified business information are therefore critical components of successful trade,” adds Xian. “This is especially true when it comes to cross-border transactions, where potential trading partners need to ensure they can enter into business in the firm knowledge that the information on which they are basing their decisions is accurate and verified. This becomes even more vital as regional economies push to recover post-COVID-19 pandemic and strive to attract new investment.”

Today, CRIF is directly operating in nine Asian countries - India, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and now Malaysia - with additional coverage in four other countries. Apart from offering the credit information services in the country, this strategic move will also connect Malaysian businesses to the ASEAN region. Ultimately, ASEAN will be a more accessible region as a whole for trade and investment.

“I’m very pleased that we have been able to extend our operations in the Malaysian market,” said Lamberto Barbieri, CRIF Asia Managing Director. “Through our expertise in credit information and range of technology solutions, we are well placed to help drive business development in the region forward, together to the next level.”

About CRIF Group
CRIF is a global company specialising in credit bureau and business information, and credit solutions. Established in 1988 in Bologna (Italy), CRIF operates over four continents. CRIF is currently the leader in continental Europe in the field of banking credit information and one of the main operators on a global level in the field of integrated services for business & commercial information and credit & marketing management.

Today over 6,300 banks and financial institutions, 55,000 business clients and 340,000 consumers use CRIF services in over 50 countries on a daily basis. For the sixth consecutive year, CRIF has been included in the prestigious IDC FinTech Rankings Top 100, classified in 50th place on an international level and at the top of Italian companies. Through the authorisation obtained by CRIF RealTime Ireland in 2019, CRIF completed its coverage as an AISP in 31 European countries where the revised Payment Services Directive is applicable. For more information: www.crif.com