Credit Bureau Development in South Asia

This report summarizes a two-day conference held on credit bureau development in South Asia, organized by the World Bank, the Central bank of Sri Lanka and the Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka (CRIB).

The conference:

• Focused on developing credit information systems in the region and its requirements;
• Addressed efforts in the South Asia region to create the necessary conditions for the development of a bureau;
• Aimed to provide governments with a better understanding of the collection and use of credit information;
• Aspired to identify ways in which the international community could help in developing credit information systems.

The report is divided into the following chapters:

• Chapter 1:
  • Provides an overview of credit bureaus;
  • Presents empirical evidence to show that the existence of credit registries leads to increased lending volume and improved access to financing;
  • Lists key requirements of credit bureaus.
• Chapter 2 - discusses credit information in South Asia and provides information about:
  • Bureau characteristics;
  • The scope of bureau information;
  • The features of a credit report;
  • Steps to improve credit information.
• Chapter 3 - lists lessons learned from international experience and discusses:
  • South Africa's improvements in consumer protection laws;
  • Off-shore collection of credit information;
  • Public-private cooperation in credit information collection in Chile.
• Chapter 4 - discusses the World Bank's involvement in improving credit information sharing framework in South Asia.