Source: Experian/Business Wire
Experian has announced Experian Cashflow Attributes for commercial lenders, a new solution that transforms business bank transaction data into analytics-ready attributes to help financial institutions make more informed decisions and gain a deeper understanding of the financial health of the businesses they serve.
“Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and helping them access the credit they need to grow and expand starts with providing lenders with a more complete understanding of their financial health,” said Molly Poppie, chief product and analytics officer for Experian Financial Services and Data.
“Commercial credit data is critical to understanding business risk, and Cashflow Attributes for commercial lenders adds another powerful dimension by providing an automated and current view of how a business is operating. By pairing these insights, we can help lenders make more-informed decisions and power more opportunities for small businesses to thrive.”
Experian’s announcement comes as access to capital remains critical for small businesses looking to operate and grow. According to the Federal Reserve Banks’ 2026 Small Business Credit Survey, 60% of small businesses sought financing in the prior 12 months, most commonly to meet operating expenses (56%) or pursue an expansion or new business opportunity (46%). Yet just 42% of applicants received all the financing they sought, while more than 1 in 5 received none.
At the same time, lenders need sufficient information to confidently evaluate a business’s financial health and ability to repay. For businesses with limited commercial credit histories, traditional credit information alone may not provide a complete picture. Cash flow insights can provide an additional view into how a business is operating and its overall financial health, helping lenders make more informed decisions and identify opportunities to responsibly extend credit to more businesses.
Experian’s preliminary analysis shows Cashflow Attributes for commercial lenders are particularly useful for businesses with thin credit files, providing up to a 24% lift in predictive performance when paired with traditional commercial credit data.
“At a time when decision-making, especially using AI, is becoming a significant competitive differentiator, Experian Cashflow Attributes for commercial lenders makes particular sense,” said Jerry Silva, vice president of IDC Financial Insights.
“Modern decision platforms need access to multiple alternative data sources, and having commercial transaction information will give those institutions that leverage it a competitive leg up.”
Turning business transactions into actionable insights
Leveraging first-party transaction data, such as information from an institution’s existing business checking account relationships, or permissioned commercial bank account transaction data, Cashflow Attributes for commercial lenders provides insight into a business’ financial health, including predictive analytics on liquidity, revenue trends, operating expenses, debt exposure and repayment capacity.
Designed to complement Experian’s commercial credit data, more than 500 analytics-ready attributes can be used across underwriting, portfolio management and model development to help lenders quickly integrate cash flow into their workstreams.
Continuing Experian’s investment in cash flow insights
The launch reflects Experian’s continued investment in expanding its cash flow capabilities across consumer and commercial markets and expands the company’s existing commercial credit data and analytics capabilities by adding transaction-based signals to lending decisions.
Experian Cashflow Attributes for commercial lenders leverages technology from Slope, a specialist in business decisioning and commercial bank account data, selected by Experian to help accelerate the delivery of commercial cash flow capabilities to clients.
“We’re excited to collaborate with Experian to help bring richer cashflow insights to commercial lenders,” said Lawrence Lin Murata, co-founder and chief executive officer of Slope.
“Small businesses generate valuable financial signals through their daily operations and banking activity. By combining Slope’s expertise in transforming business transaction data with Experian’s industry-leading commercial credit data and analytics, we’re helping lenders gain a deeper understanding of business performance and create more opportunities for small businesses to access the capital they need to grow.”
Experian is an Event Partner of Open Banking Expo UK & Europe 2026 on 13-14 October at the Business Design Centre in London. Click here to find out more.
Further reading: Experian launches ‘Fast Track’ to improve pre-approvals in credit application process
