Experian Expands Ascend Platform with Full Access to UK Commercial Credit Data

Experian Expands Ascend Platform with Full Access to UK Commercial Credit Data

(IN BRIEF) Experian has made its full commercial credit data suite available through the Ascend platform for the first time, giving lenders and organisations instant access to detailed credit information on more than eight million UK businesses. The integration allows users to analyse over six years of commercial credit data alongside internal datasets within a single cloud-based environment. Designed to support faster and more accurate decision-making, the move strengthens Ascend’s role as a central analytics and decisioning platform for the UK lending market. Early pilots involving major financial institutions, including Metro Bank, highlighted the platform’s potential to improve lending models and outcomes.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 6-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Experian has announced that its market-leading commercial credit data is now available for the first time through its Ascend platform, marking a significant expansion of access to business credit intelligence for lenders and organisations across the UK.

The integration brings Experian’s full commercial data suite directly into the Ascend environment, providing users with detailed insight into the borrowing and repayment behaviour of more than eight million UK businesses. The data spans over six years of full-file commercial credit information, including Commercial CAIS, Risk Scores, and CATO, enabling more accurate, faster, and better-informed lending and risk decisions.

Through the Experian Analytical Sandbox within Ascend, users can instantly access and analyse commercial credit data alongside their own internal datasets. This unified approach eliminates the need for multiple integrations or manual data extraction, allowing businesses to work with Experian’s complete commercial data portfolio within a single cloud-based platform.

Ascend brings together Experian’s data assets with advanced analytics and decisioning tools, helping organisations build a deeper understanding of customers and markets. In 2024, Experian data supported at least two-thirds of UK small and medium-sized enterprise borrowing, underlining the platform’s role in the UK lending ecosystem.

David Gallihawk, David Gallihawk, Chief Product Officer, Business Information at Experian UK&I, said that Ascend acts as a central gateway to Experian’s capabilities. He noted that the platform enables clients to access credit, fraud, and identity solutions, apply analytics, and deploy models into production far more quickly than traditional approaches. As competition intensifies with new lenders and products entering the market, he added, Ascend supports organisations in retaining customers, identifying growth opportunities, launching new offerings, and automating processes through data-driven decision-making.

Ahead of the broader rollout, several major financial services organisations, including Metro Bank, participated in commercial data pilots via Ascend. These pilots demonstrated how Experian’s business data, combined with the platform’s advanced technology, can enhance lending models and decision frameworks.

To find out more about Experian Ascend and Experian commercial data visit here.

ENDS

Media contact:

Robert Goodman, PR Manager, Corporate & Business, UK&I, Experian

Tel: +44 7989 398 498 / Email: Robert.Goodman@Experian.com

About Experian

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

We operate across a range of markets, from financial services to healthcare, automotive, agrifinance, insurance, and many more industry segments.

We invest in talented people and new advanced technologies to unlock the power of data and to innovate. A FTSE 100 Index company listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN), we have a team of 25,100 people across 32 countries. Our corporate headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland. Learn more at experianplc.com.

SOURCE: Experian