Until the beginning of February 2011 there has been no identified formal mechanism in the Republic of the Maldives for credit providers to share information on the past performance of their borrowers. As a result, lenders have been forced to resort to informal data sharing, in order to reduce information asymmetry when making credit decisions. Therefore, to improve the access to finance for underserved business segments, and to further develop and improve the efficiency of the financial sector, MMA initiated a project to establish a credit information registry for the Maldives.

The Bureau, established under the Maldives Banking Act and governed by a Credit Information Regulation issued under the Act, is the nation’s first credit information bureau which collects, compiles and collates customer information disbursed among the institutions where they hold credit. The main objective of the Bureau is to serve as a one-stop repository of credit information, provide credit-decision support for financial institutions operating in the Maldives, and aid member institutions in making more informed credit decisions.CIB’s ultimate goal and objective is to facilitate the SMEs’ and individual’s ability to obtain finance in less time. Whereby contributing to the development of SMEs’ and individuals’ capacity to finance startups that will eventually contribute to the overall picture of economic development.