Real-time credit assessment for newly established, small corporations
Korea Evaluation Data (Kodata) and fintech firm GoWid will officially launch KO-ARBI, an alternative credit scoring service tailored for newly established and small corporations, on Aug. 1.
The service introduces what the companies describe as the country's first "hybrid scoring" model, which goes beyond conventional corporate credit assessments based on annual financial statements by incorporating real-time cash flow data — with the aim of improving financial access for early-stage companies.
According to Kodata, the two companies plan to provide corporate credit indicators for growth-stage corporations to banks, card companies, capital firms and payment gateway operators through the KO-ARBI platform.
Newly established and small corporations have long faced disadvantages in loan screening by financial institutions, which rely heavily on annual financial statements, leaving companies with limited financial track records at a structural disadvantage. As the government has made inclusive finance a core policy priority, financial institutions have increasingly moved to adopt alternative credit assessments that draw on real-time financial data.
KO-ARBI applies a hybrid scoring model that combines Kodata's corporate credit information with GoWid's real-time data processing technology. The system can more precisely evaluate a company's actual operating conditions and growth potential by reflecting current cash flow data, the companies said.
As a result, companies that have run deficits due to early-stage investment — and have struggled to have their value recognized through financial statements alone — are expected to receive assessments that reflect their growth potential. The companies also said the service is expected to be widely used in selecting recipients of investment and policy funding support, as well as in post-selection management.
Financial institutions, in particular, see the service as a way to sharpen their screening of growth companies with short financial histories while also identifying high-quality borrowers early.
The service can be accessed through banners on affiliated financial institutions' websites or via a dedicated KO-ARBI page. Once a company authenticates with its corporate digital certificate, data is automatically linked and the assessment proceeds without additional document submission. The review period, which previously took around two to three weeks, is set to be cut to within one business day of application.
The two companies plan to continuously refine their assessment model based on data accumulated over time.
Kim Hang-gi, chief executive of GoWid, said the company would "fundamentally improve the funding environment for growth-stage companies through the hybrid scoring model."
Hong Du-seon, chief executive of Kodata, said the company would "open a new era of credit assessment in which the true value of growth companies is proven through data," adding that it would "continue to identify and support growth companies in line with the government's policy of expanding productive finance and inclusive finance."
forest@heraldcorp.com
