DIGITAL lender Tala Philippines is expanding partnerships with businesses, financial institutions and payment networks to widen access to formal credit, particularly for borrowers with limited credit histories.
The company on Thursday said these partnerships combine its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered credit assessment technology with its partners’ funding capacity and distribution networks to reach more Filipinos who may have difficulty qualifying for traditional loans.
“Financial inclusion thrives when different parts of the ecosystem work together,” Moritz Gastl, Tala Philippines president and general manager, said.
Tala uses alternative data to assess borrowers with limited conventional credit records. Through its Credit-as-a-Service offering, businesses can integrate the company’s credit infrastructure into their own platforms through application programming interfaces or software development kits, allowing credit decisions to be delivered in real time.
The company also works with e-wallets, banks and over-the-counter payment channels to give approved borrowers options for receiving and withdrawing loan proceeds.
Tala said loan channeling arrangements with financial institutions also allow it to combine its credit technology and customer reach with institutional funding, potentially increasing the capital available for lending.
A major loan channeling partnership launched in 2024 demonstrated the model, although the company in its latest statement did not identify the partner or disclose the amount of funding involved.
Tala’s move to expand partnerships comes as financial inclusion efforts shift toward encouraging the use of formal financial services. The company cited data showing that 58 percent of Filipino adults have a formal financial account, while emphasizing the need to improve access to credit and other financial services.
Alongside expanding lending, Tala said it was working with industry groups on responsible lending, fraud prevention and consumer protection. The company participates in the Consumer Lending Association of the Philippines and supports its Debt with Dignity advocacy, which promotes safeguards against abusive debt collection practices.
Through the Global Debt Collection with Dignity Initiative, Tala is advancing a framework that governments, regulators and organizations can adapt to improve borrower treatment, it said.
The fintech company said its partnerships aim to make credit more accessible while ensuring that consumer protections keep pace with the growth of digital lending.
Tala in the Philippines is owned and operated by Tala Financing Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of US-based fintech Tala, which operates as an AI-native digital financial services platform.
