From Superapp Data to Credit Access: Grab Finance Scales Lending Across Southeast Asia

Grab Finance, the financial services arm of Southeast Asia's leading super app, is using the industry-leading capabilities of FICO® Platform to transform credit access across the region. By implementing more than 22 decision workflows across six countries, the company has increased credit offer eligibility rates by nearly 50% for its users while serving more than 46 million consumers, plus millions of merchants and drivers across its ecosystem. The transformation has enabled more of Grab’s drivers, merchants, and passengers to, not just access formal credit, but also do this at a much faster rate.

The solution uses appropriate behavioral data - including ride frequency, merchant revenues and payment history - supported by the industry-leading capabilities of FICO® Platform to enable automated pre-approved offers across Grab’s ecosystem in line with applicable laws and Grab’s privacy commitments.

For its achievements, Grab Finance won a  2026 FICO® Decision Award for Financial Inclusion.

“Grab saw a strategic opportunity to make financing in Southeast Asia more accessible by leveraging our superapp ecosystem and behavioral data,” said Andre Tan, Regional Head, Lending Risk Platforms at Grab Finance. “Using FICO Platform, we can deliver contextual, real-time credit offers across multiple verticals within the Grab super app. This enables us to expand financial inclusion by providing credit access for underserved users who are economically active but often overlooked by traditional lenders.”

Conquering Southeast Asia's Credit Challenges

Southeast Asia, home to more than 700 million people, has one of the world's largest underbanked populations. Grab Finance saw an opportunity to deliver responsible, scalable credit services across this diverse and complex region, given Grab’s scale and data-rich ecosystem.

One of the key challenges faced by many individuals and businesses in the region as they seek credit was data scarcity arising from their lack of traditional bureau history, leaving them thin-file or no-file. Grab needed to develop alternative risk models using in-app behavioral signals, such as ride patterns, merchant activity, and payment habits.

Additionally, the fragmented regulatory landscape meant credit, banking, and data protection laws differed significantly across Southeast Asian countries, requiring localized compliance and explainability without losing regional consistency.

“We had millions of drivers and merchants who were invisible to traditional banks but were earning real income every day on our platform," said Tan. “We knew we could change that equation, but we needed technology that could support our efforts to see what conventional credit scoring couldn't.”

Rapid Time-to-Value

FICO was able to deliver phase one of the transformation across six countries, which Grab operates in, in under eight months, enabling Grab to automate key processes, such as credit eligibility assessment. The ambitious project involved 22 separate decision workflows delivered across the region and Grab’s three customer portfolios (i.e. its driver-partners, passengers, and merchant-partners).

“This project drew attention because Grab Finance addressed credit assessment at a regional scale, rather than focusing solely on a discrete technology implementation,” said Sam Abadir, research director, risk and compliance, IDC Financial Insights, and a judge for the FICO Decision Awards. “The judges noted how the organization operationalized regulatory diversity across Southeast Asia within its credit decisioning framework, demonstrating an approach that integrates compliance requirements directly into platform design.”

How FICO Can Help You Lend To More People

FICO’s AI-powered decisioning uses behavioural and alternative data to help lenders unlock credit opportunities for thin- and no-file customers. By combining machine learning, diverse data sources and real-time decisioning, FICO enables faster approvals, improved risk accuracy and scalable, inclusive credit experiences.

• Read more about FICO Platform
• Read and watch GXS Bank’s story to see how they deliver loan approvals in under 3 minutes with 90% straight-through processing using FICO Platform.
• See how Trust Bank does it—achieving 80% STP and cutting manual reviews by 50% to onboard customers faster and smarter.
• Explore the FICO Financial Inclusion Initiative