Ant Financial Subsidiary Starts Offering Individual Credit Scores

(Beijing) – A subsidiary of a financial services company related to Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has started offering a credit rating service after it received the central bank's approval early that month to commercialize the collection and analysis of personal credit data.

Sesame Credit Management Co., a subsidiary of Alibaba-linked Ant Financial Services Group, was one of the eight companies the central bank chose to run individual credit rating services that had been provided only by the regulator. It gave the companies six months from January to prepare for business and will decide whether or not to give them a license based on their performance.