For the 15 million new immigrants who arrive in the US each year, it’s crucial to have a working credit history. Without this, they’ll be unable to rent an apartment, apply for a credit card or in some cases even get a job. The issue is that their credit history won’t have travelled with them, so lenders in their new country won’t be able to verify their eligibility. Nova Credit's founders experienced this problem first-hand, as Esipov is a first-generation Russian immigrant.
Nova Credit imports financial histories to enable immigrants to set up lives in new countries, with their ‘Credit Passport’. This is a digital framework that connects an individual’s credit history information from one country into the country where they are currently residing.
Nova Credit is currently able to import credit history from 8 countries, its most recent addition being the UK in January 2023. Since being accepted to Y Combinator in 2016, the company has since raised considerable funding from major finance players such as HSBC. Nova Credit has grown its footprint significantly, covering more than 1 billion consumer credit profiles, with further expansion in sight.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle