Experian Launches AI-Enabled Decisioning Platform, Bringing Real-Time Underwriting and Cash Flow Intelligence to its Consumer Marketplace

Experian Activate™ combines credit, cash flow and consumer-permissioned data to improve offer matching, expand financial access and help lenders reach more qualified consumers

• AI-enabled decisioning engine brings real-time lender defined underwriting criteria to Experian Marketplace, its consumer comparison-shopping platform for credit cards, personal loans and auto insurance.
• First-of-its-kind platform to combine credit data, AI, and consumer-permissioned cash flow insights in one decisioning engine, helping match Experian’s 90+ million members to offers they’re likely to qualify for.
• Real-time, in-session consumer-permissioned data gives lenders a better view of a consumer’s finances and enables offers that reflect their financial profile.
• 60% of previously denied or under-offered borrowers believe the outcome would have changedⁱ if lenders had factored in recent income and banking activity, underscoring the financial-inclusion stakes of the launch.

Costa Mesa, CA (Sept. 10, 2026) – As lenders increasingly seek more personalized ways to evaluate consumers and expand access to credit, Experian^® has rolled out Experian Activate™, an AI-enabled decisioning engine powering the Experian Marketplace, a leading consumer comparison-shopping platform for credit cardsⁱⁱ, personal loansⁱⁱⁱ and auto insurance^iv.

Designed to help connect Experian’s more than 90 million members with offers they’re more likely to qualify for, Experian Activate is the only platform that brings together credit data, advanced analytics, AI capabilities, consumer-permissioned financial information, including cash flow insights, and lender-specific underwriting criteria to power more personalized credit decisioning and offer matching. The platform helps lenders reach qualified consumers more efficiently while helping consumers discover financial products that better match their current needs and financial circumstances.

Experian Activate represents the next evolution of Experian’s AI-powered marketplace capabilities, combining real-time decisioning, advanced analytics and consumer-permissioned data to create a more intelligent and personalized lending experience for consumers and lenders alike.

AI-Powered Decisioning for More Personalized Lending

Unlike traditional marketplaces that rely on pre-screened lists or periodically refreshed data, Experian Activate evaluates consumers using real-time information when they are actively shopping for credit. This enables lenders to make more informed decisions and helps consumers receive offers that reflect their current financial situation.

The same real-time credit intelligence that powers Experian Marketplace also extends to third-party experiences such as ChatGPT. As a result, consumers receive relevant financial recommendations across platforms, and lenders can reach qualified borrowers wherever they are searching for financial products.

“Experian Activate brings together the full power of Experian’s data, analytics, marketplace reach and AI capabilities to create a more intelligent lending experience,” said Rakesh Patel, Executive Vice President, Experian Marketplace at Experian. “We’re uniquely positioned to help lenders make better decisions with greater confidence while helping consumers discover financial opportunities that are more personalized and relevant to their needs. It’s another example of how Experian is using AI and innovating to create better outcomes across the financial ecosystem.”

Expanding Credit Decisions with Cash Flow Insights

As part of the rollout, Experian has expanded the use of cash flow insights by integrating Experian Cashflow Attributes™ into Experian Marketplace. Participating lenders can incorporate consumer-permissioned cash flow data and Experian’s proprietary analytics alongside traditional credit information to gain a more complete view of a consumer’s financial health and create additional pathways to credit access.

Through a single connection, consumers can securely connect their bank accounts allowing Experian to generate cash flow insights while also strengthening their Experian credit profile through Experian Boost^®v, the one-of-a-kind feature that allows consumers to directly add bill payment history to their Experian credit file. When consumers choose to connect their accounts, cash flow insights can be incorporated into the credit decisioning process during the same session, enabling lenders to evaluate a broader financial picture and potentially present more relevant offers to more consumers, immediately.

“Cash flow data is transforming how we understand consumer behavior, assess risk and open doors for consumers who have been historically left out of the mainstream financial ecosystem,” said Ashley Knight, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Financial Services and Data at Experian. “By bringing consumer permissioned cash flow insights directly into the Experian Marketplace experience, we’re helping lenders extend more competitive offers to more consumers while creating a more seamless experience for people shopping for financial products that best meet their needs.”

Accelerating Financial Inclusion Through Data Innovation

The launch of Experian Activate reflects Experian’s broader commitment to using AI and responsible data innovation to expand access to financial opportunities and help consumers make more informed financial decisions.

By incorporating cash flow insights and consumer-permissioned financial data alongside traditional credit information, Experian Activate helps lenders evaluate consumers more holistically and identify opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked. The result is a marketplace that helps lenders reach more qualified borrowers while helping consumers discover financial opportunities they may have previously missed.

Research shows consumers see the value of providing financial data, with 60% of consumers who’ve previously been denied credit or received less favorable loan terms than expected believing the outcome would have been different if lenders had considered their recent income and banking activity alongside their credit history^vi.

Together, AI-powered decisioning, real-time data and consumer-permissioned financial insights are helping create a more personalized, accessible and inclusive marketplace for credit.

About Experian

Experian is a global data and technology company, powering opportunities for people and businesses around the world. We help redefine lending practices, uncover and prevent fraud, simplify healthcare, deliver digital marketing solutions and gain deeper insights into the automotive market through our unique combination of data, analytics and platforms. We also help millions of people realize their financial goals and save time and money.

We operate across a range of markets, including financial services, healthcare, automotive, agrifinance, insurance and many other industry segments. We invest in talented people and advanced technologies to unlock the power of data and drive innovation. A FTSE 100 company listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN), Experian employs approximately 25,200 people across 33 countries. Our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, visit www.experianplc.com.

Notes

ⁱ Experian commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 adults age 18+ in the United States. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 2.2 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between July 16 – July 21, 2026.

ⁱⁱ Results will vary. Based on FICO® Score 8 model. Offers and approvals not guaranteed. Eligibility requirements and terms apply. Application is subject to a credit check, which may impact your credit scores. Offers not available in all states. See experian.com for details.

ⁱⁱⁱ Results will vary. Based on FICO® Score 8 model. Offers and approval not guaranteed. Eligibility requirements and terms apply. Application is subject to a credit check which may impact your credit scores. Offers not available in all states. Marketplace Licenses and Disclosures.

^iv Results will vary and some may not see savings.

^v Results will vary. Not all payments are boost-eligible. Some users may not receive an improved score or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost®. Learn more.

^vi Experian commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of 2,000 adults age 18+ in the United States. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 2.2 percentage points with a confidence level of 95 percent. Fieldwork took place between July 16 – July 21, 2026.

SOURCE: Experian

Tags: Artificial Intelligence (AI), auto insurance, credit insurance, Experian, industry first, launch, payment, platform, Real-Time, United States (USA)