UAE Credit Score 3i expands assessment for thin-file and recent-resident borrowers

Al Etihad Credit Bureau launched Credit Score 3i with an assessment horizon of 36 months, compared with 24 months for the previous score, and a route for people who are new to credit or recently resident in the UAE. The official account gives a 300–850 range for established credit histories and 300–650 for profiles with limited data. Because the inputs and population differ, the two numerical ranges should not be treated as directly equivalent.

AECB reported that its database contained approximately 11.6 million individual and business records, 20.2 million active contracts and 25.3 million active IBANs at September 2026. The bureau also states that a score may improve within six months after resolved defaults and positive subsequent behaviour. This is a possible time horizon, not a guaranteed score outcome, loan approval, credit limit or interest rate.

For banks and fintechs, the change can widen the formal risk evidence available for customers with a short local history. Implementation still requires product-specific governance: identity and income verification, affordability, fraud controls, model validation, customer explanation, data correction and lender risk appetite. A borrower or adviser should obtain the actual AECB report and the chosen lender’s criteria rather than use a public score range as a promise of financing.