Experian and Plaid partner to enhance credit access with real-time cashflow insights

Experian has announced a strategic integration with Plaid, marking a major milestone in its mission to make credit more inclusive and accessible through the power of Open Banking.

The collaboration enables lenders to harness cashflow insights derived from consumer-permissioned bank data, transforming how credit risk is assessed for individuals with limited or no traditional credit history. By combining Experian’s core credit bureau data with predictive cashflow attributes delivered through Plaid’s financial data network, lenders can access a richer, real-time view of an applicant’s financial behaviour – empowering faster, fairer, and more informed credit decisions.

This move is expected to provide an up to 25% lift in predictive performance to the lender in real time, creating tangible benefits for both lenders and consumers. The integration enables applicants—particularly those new to credit, recent immigrants, or individuals rebuilding their financial histories—to opt in and share transaction-level data like rent, bills, and savings habits. Experian then analyses this data to generate a Cashflow Score or key financial attributes, delivering the insights to lenders within seconds.

Plaid, whose platform is connected to one in two U.S. bank accounts, enables consumers to securely share their financial data during credit applications for products such as credit cards, personal loans, or auto finance. The result is a more inclusive credit system—one where responsible financial behaviour outside of traditional credit products can be recognized and rewarded.

This partnership highlights how lenders are riding the Open Banking wave to make smarter, faster, and fairer lending moves.

As Experian and Plaid look ahead, this collaboration is set to redefine how financial potential is evaluated, putting consumer-permissioned data front and centre in modern finance.

Further reading: Experian partners with Paylink to offer debt consolidation loans