Metropol Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) Limited has listed over 21 million Kenyan and 800 businesses, of which 14 million are active borrowers.

According to Metropol Chief Data Officer Edna Mulwa, the number of people and businesses listed at the CRB increased from 12 million in mid-2020 to 21 million during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the data from 2,500 institutions informed lenders to tailor credit products based on risk profiles.

Speaking in Nakuru after a two-day workshop with finance organizations in the South Rift Region, she stated the firm automated its system to expedite the turnaround time of clearing people from the CRB list once they have cleared their debts with Saccos or banks to near real-time.

“The official recommended time of striking off the names of borrowers who have cleared their payments is 48 hours but Metropol does it almost instantly,” she said.

Further, she said research and analysis of borrowers helped institutions understand credit risk and default trends