Since its 2015 launch, ClearScore has been known as one of the UK’s major providers of credit scores and reports, and while to this day that remains a core aspect of the group’s offering and identity, in 2026, the company believes its role as a financial marketplace and provider of a broad variety of financial services has become just as significant.
In this exclusive interview with UKTN, Brian Cole, chief financial officer at ClearScore, discusses the challenges of providing regulated services across international markets, the rapid diversification of ClearScore’s product offering and the future of Open Banking.
Has ClearScore’s diversification of products/services been difficult to manage?
There is always more complexity as a business grows, particularly as you’re entering new markets and diversifying your product offering. The key for ClearScore has always been to grow in a very deliberate way – building on our strengths, scaling what works and continuing to invest heavily in the future.
That has meant expanding into adjacent areas that complement the core business and where we know we can add real value for users. Our acquisition of Aro Finance last year has expanded the Group’s reach into embedded finance and secured lending, while bringing in Acre Platforms in January strengthened our mortgage proposition.
Each of those businesses builds on the same foundations – a trusted brand, engaged users, permissioned data at scale, proprietary technology and deep relationships with financial providers.
So, while growth inevitably brings complexity, ClearScore has always expanded its financial marketplace with a clear purpose in mind to enable people to access financial products with greater transparency, fairness and control.
Have you been surprised by any differences across the international markets ClearScore operates in?
What has been striking is how consistent the underlying consumer need is. Whether someone lives in the UK, South Africa or Australia, people want financial decisions to feel simpler, clearer and easier to understand.
Where markets differ is in their maturity – particularly around data, technology and the way financial providers interact with marketplaces. We now have 26 million users across five markets, including South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, so we’re seeing these differences at real scale. This creates opportunities to take what we’ve learnt in one market and apply it elsewhere as those markets evolve.
Our model is global, but the experience is local. We share technology, data capabilities and expertise across the Group, while adapting our products to the needs of local user and partners. The ability to scale what works, while tailoring it locally to each market, is a key strength as we continue to grow internationally.
How do you see Open Banking evolving in the future?
There is a huge amount of opportunity in Open Banking. The first phase was about connectivity and data – and the next phase is about using that data to deliver into better financial outcomes for people scale.
Historically, credit decisions have relied heavily on someone’s legacy financial history through credit scores. Open Banking gives lenders a richer, real-time picture of an individual’s financial health. That can mean better affordability assessments, more accurate risk decisions and access to credit for people who might otherwise have been overlooked.
We’re already seeing that in practice. Open Banking now drives 23% of lending through the ClearScore marketplace, while D•One provides the infrastructure that allows lenders to use transaction data to make better credit decisions.
For us, the opportunity now is to move from data access to a fully integrated financial market where data at scale, cutting-edge technology and strong consumer brands match consumers with the right products at the right time.
That should benefit everyone. Consumers can access more relevant products, while lenders can make better decisions, manage risk more effectively and serve a broader range of customers.
What’s something about your industry outsiders don’t know about?
The role financial marketplaces play within the wider financial services ecosystem is often underestimated. While they may appear to be simple comparison platforms, they are underpinned by significant technology, data and distribution infrastructure.
At ClearScore, we combine credit bureau information, Open Banking and behavioural data with integrations across more than 200 financial providers to help match consumers with the right products at the right time.
This creates value across the ecosystem. Consumers benefit from more relevant choices and greater control over their financial wellbeing, while lenders can make better-informed decisions, manage risk more effectively and, through Open Banking, reach consumers who may previously have been overlooked by traditional credit score-based decisions.
Financial marketplaces are therefore becoming an increasingly important part of financial services infrastructure, using technology and data to connect consumers and providers and deliver better outcomes for both.
Is there a change you want to see in your sector?
I’d like to see the financial services sector create more space for responsible innovation to develop and scale. The UK has built one of the world’s leading fintech sectors, but technology and consumer expectations are evolving quickly, and the industry needs to keep pace.
AI is a good example. As consumers increasingly use AI assistants to understand their finances and make decisions, the industry needs to think carefully about how those new journeys interact with financial services.
That’s why we developed ClearScore’s Agentic Credit Broking Protocol. It’s designed to enable AI agents to participate in credit broking while ensuring the protections consumers expect. That kind of innovation requires close collaboration between technology companies, financial providers and regulators.
Initiatives such as the FCA’s Scale-up Unit are so important. Closer dialogue helps businesses develop and scale new ideas, while giving regulators a clearer view of how technology is reshaping the market.
We’ve already seen through Open Banking what is possible when the sector embraces innovation and gives people more control over their data – enabling more personalised products, accurate lending decisions and more equitable access to credit.
The opportunity now is to build on that foundation – embracing AI, data and new distribution models at greater pace – while keeping the focus firmly on how that innovation makes financial services fairer, simpler and more useful for consumers.
