Etihad Credit Bureau, the UAE’s federal credit information agency, has launched a new scoring model for individuals that can reflect improved repayment behavior within six months of a borrower settling defaults.
The model, called Credit Score 3i, assesses up to 36 months of credit behavior, up from 24 months under the previous model, the bureau said in a statement on Thursday.
It uses two score ranges. Individuals with established credit histories are scored from 300 to 850. Eligible people who are new to credit or new to the UAE, with limited histories, are scored from 300 to 650.
The bureau said a higher score within the six-month period is not guaranteed. New defaults can also reverse progress.
“Credit Score 3i advances the use of data and analytics to support more comprehensive credit risk assessments, strengthen financial sector efficiency and encourage responsible credit practices,” said Marwan Ahmad Lutfi, director general of Etihad Credit Bureau.
Fee cut to AED10
Individuals could previously stay in a low score category for around two years after a default, Lutfi told a media roundtable in Abu Dhabi, Khaleej Times reported.
He said the bureau had cut the cost of a credit score to AED10 from AED30.
People with no borrowing history could receive an initial score within one month, he said. Banks and other lenders had tested the model for several months before the launch, the newspaper reported.
Database growth
As of September 2026, the bureau’s database covered about 11.6 million individuals and businesses, 20.2 million active credit contracts and 25.3 million active bank account numbers.
It issued more than 17 million credit reports and scores in 2025, up from about one million in 2015. The bureau added buy now, pay later accounts and other short-term credit products to its reporting this year.
