Metropol
Metropol Corporation, through Metropol Credit Reference Bureau Limited, is a Kenya-headquartered licensed Credit Reference Bureau and Credit Rating Agency providing credit reports, Metro-Score, ratings, and debt collection services to 2,500+ lenders, corporates, public entities, and individual consumers across East Africa.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Metropol does
Metropol Corporation Limited, through its operating entity Metropol Credit Reference Bureau Limited, is a Kenya-headquartered credit information and rating group serving the East African market. The CRB division collects full-file credit data — both positive and negative — from banks, microfinance institutions, SACCOs, digital credit providers, insurance companies, utilities, and trade creditors serving more than 2,500 data contributors. Its proprietary Metro-Score algorithm scores individuals on a 200-900 scale and businesses on a 20-90 scale; output products include credit reports, CRB certificates, CRB status checks, dispute resolution, and a "Who Shared My Data" transparency service, delivered through the Crystobol Android app, the *433# USSD channel on Safaricom, a web portal, and a physical agent network. The licensed Metropol Ratings division (Capital Markets Authority of Kenya plus Rwanda Capital Market Authority) issues corporate, SME, financial-institution, insurance, fund, structured-finance, county, and sovereign ratings; wholly-owned subsidiary Metropol Credit Management Services (MCMS) provides debt collection, skip tracing, asset tracing, and private investigation services. The firm is regulated by the Central Bank of Kenya as a Credit Reference Bureau, is privately held, and operates under the holding company Metropol Corporation Limited.
Monetization rests on three engines: (1) transaction fees from individual and corporate credit reports, CRB certificates, and CRB status checks (with one free annual report mandated by CBK); (2) recurring subscriptions and data-reporting fees paid by partner institutions to share customer credit data with the bureau; and (3) professional-services revenue from corporate ratings (Pricing without public disclosure, 131 completed ratings via the GCR partnership, 250+ shadow ratings) and from collections through MCMS. Customer segments are diversified across banking, microfinance, SACCOs, digital lenders, insurance, utilities, retail credit, listed corporations, county governments, and investors; an Android app and USSD channel extend self-serve distribution to individual consumers, while direct sales covers enterprise and institutional accounts.
Metropol firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metropol
- Legal name
- Metropol Credit Reference Bureau Limited
- Website
- https://metropol.co.ke
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Metropol Corporation, through Metropol Credit Reference Bureau Limited, is a Kenya-headquartered licensed Credit Reference Bureau and Credit Rating Agency providing credit reports, Metro-Score, ratings, and debt collection services to 2,500+ lenders, corporates, public entities, and individual consumers across East Africa.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metropol industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Credit Information Services
- NAICS
- Credit Bureaus (561450), Collection Agencies (561440)
- SIC
- Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies (7320)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Credit File Dispute Management & Consumer Data Remediation (FSAKAKAI)
Keywords
Where Metropol is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nairobi
- HQ country
- Kenya
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices3 records
Markets served
Metropol business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Credit Reports and Certificates: Revenue from providing credit reports, CRB status checks, and clearance certificates to individuals and businesses. Free credit report available once per calendar year per CRB regulations.
- Credit Rating Services: Corporate, SME, financial institution, insurance firm, fund, county, and sovereign credit ratings provided through Metropol Ratings division. Licensed by Capital Markets Authority of Kenya and Rwanda Capital Market Authority.
- Customer Data Reporting Partnerships: Partner institutions (banks, MFIs, SACCOs, digital credit providers) pay to share credit data with Metropol, enabling full-file information sharing.
- Collections Services: Debt collection, skip tracing, asset tracing, and private investigation services provided by Metropol Credit Management Services (MCMS) subsidiary.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Annual | Free annual credit report |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Transaction-based services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Metropol product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metropol is a licensed Kenyan Credit Reference Bureau that aggregates full-file credit data from over 2,500 credit providers and delivers individual and business credit reports, Metro-Score credit scores (200-900 for individuals, 20-90 for businesses), CRB status checks, and clearance certificates. Through its Metropol Ratings division it additionally offers corporate, SME, financial institution, insurance, fund, structured finance, county, and sovereign credit ratings, while its MCMS subsidiary provides collections, skip tracing, and private investigation services.
Product overview
Metropol operates a dual-division credit information ecosystem: the Credit Reference Bureau (CRB) division and the Metropol Ratings division. The CRB division provides individual and business credit services including Metro-Score credit scoring (200-900 for individuals, 20-90 for businesses), credit reports, CRB status verification (Excellent/Good/Poor), and clearance certificates. These core products are accessible through the Crystobol mobile app, USSD (*433#), and web portal. Business services include customer data reporting, business information reports, and collections management through the MCMS subsidiary. The Ratings division, licensed by CMA and Rwanda Capital Market Authority, offers corporate, SME, insurance, financial institution, fund, structured finance, county, and sovereign credit ratings. The ecosystem supports over 2,500 credit providers and serves banks, SMEs, corporations, investors, and capital markets across Kenya and East Africa.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Metropol Ratings: Credit Rating Agency providing corporate ratings, SME ratings, insurance firm ratings, financial institution ratings, fund ratings, county ratings, and sovereign ratings. Licensed by Capital Markets Authority of Kenya and Rwanda Capital Market Authority.
Products and services
- Metro-Score Credit Score Numerical creditworthiness assessment calculated using a proprietary mathematical model on individual scores (200-900, with scores below 400 indicating default) and business scores (20-90, with scores below 40 indicating default history), available to consumers and lenders through the bureau.
- Credit Report Comprehensive record of credit history including identification details, employment information, credit performance, payment history, public records such as defaults and bankruptcies, inquiries, and bounced cheques, available to individuals and lenders.
- CRB Status Check Quick credit standing summary providing an instant Excellent, Good, or Poor classification of an individual's credit profile for use in loan applications and financial planning.
- CRB Clearance Certificate Official document issued by the licensed CRB confirming an individual's credit status and absence of current defaults, required by lenders and employers for credit decisions and recruitment.
- Customer Data Reporting Service Subscription service enabling approved partner institutions (banks, MFIs, SACCOs, digital credit providers, insurance companies, utility companies, and traders) to securely share their customers' credit information with Metropol on an ongoing basis.
- Business Information Report Detailed company profile assessment including registration details, ownership structure, financial performance, and credit performance, used by third parties for risk evaluation of business counterparties.
- Metropol Ratings (SME & Corporate Ratings) Credit rating services licensed by the Capital Markets Authority of Kenya and Rwanda Capital Market Authority, covering corporate, SME, financial institution, insurance firm, fund, structured finance (ABS/MBS), county, and sovereign credit ratings using the GCR methodology and local market expertise.
- Collections and Debt Recovery (MCMS) Professional debt management services provided by the MCMS subsidiary, including debt collection, skip tracing, asset tracing, and private investigations for banks, microfinance banks, fintechs, SACCOs, MFIs, trade, utility, and insurance companies.
- Certificate Verification Service Online verification tool enabling third parties (employers, lenders, immigration) to confirm the authenticity of Metropol-issued clearance certificates using certificate reference numbers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2500+ credit providers using Metropol's services
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Metropol
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Metropol technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature3 records
Metropol partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- GCR (Global Credit Rating Co.)flagshipMetropol partnered with GCR since 2007, representing GCR in the East Africa Region to help increase penetration of Corporate Ratings domestically in Kenya and wider East Africa Market. The partnership has enabled 131 ratings across East Africa. Metropol is the sole Kenyan Credit Rating Agency partner for GCR, leveraging local market expertise combined with GCR's global rating methodology.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Metropol competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TransUnion Africa (CRB Africa): TransUnion operates as a licensed Credit Reference Bureau in Kenya (CRB Africa) directly competing with Metropol on consumer and business credit reports, scores, and certificates for the same banks, MFIs, SACCOs, and digital lenders. Both bureaus collect full-file data under identical CRB Regulations 2020 and serve the same regulatory-mandated demand.
- Creditinfo Group: Creditinfo Group operates credit bureaus and decisioning platforms across Africa and other emerging markets, providing consumer and commercial credit reports, scoring, and data analytics. It is a direct peer to Metropol in regional footprint and emerging-market credit bureau operations.
- GCR Ratings (Global Credit Rating Co.): GCR is a South African-anchored credit rating agency operating across Africa and the partner agency that has powered Metropol's East Africa ratings since 2007. GCR is a direct peer in the credit rating business where Metropol operates under dual CMA Kenya and Rwanda CMA licenses using GCR methodology.
Broad incumbents
- Experian: Experian is one of the world's largest credit bureaus with operations across multiple African markets, offering consumer and commercial credit reports, scores, and analytics. As a broad incumbent operating globally, it competes indirectly with Metropol in multinational lender RFPs and sets benchmark product expectations in emerging markets.
- Dun & Bradstreet: Dun & Bradstreet is a global business information and commercial credit bureau providing corporate credit reports and SME data. Its Business Information Report offering overlaps with Metropol's Business Information Reports and SME/corporate ratings across multinational lender use cases.
- CRIF: CRIF is a global credit bureau and business information group with operations in Africa providing consumer and commercial credit information, scoring, and decisioning solutions. It is a broad incumbent peer with overlapping credit-bureau products serving financial institutions across Africa.
- Fitch Solutions / Fitch Ratings: Fitch is a global credit rating agency with sovereign, corporate, and structured finance ratings, including across African markets. It is a broad incumbent peer in the rating agency business where Metropol Ratings operates under CMA and Rwanda CMA licenses.
Regional players
- Compuscan (XDS): Compuscan/XDS is a South African-based credit bureau and data analytics provider serving multiple African countries. It is a regional peer to Metropol in the African credit bureau market with similar consumer/bureau scoring products across the continent.
Others
- Equity Credit Score (E-score / Equity Bank Kenya): Equity Bank operates internal credit-scoring within its lending operations and partners with licensed CRBs in Kenya. It is adjacent to Metropol as a high-volume data contributor to the CRB system and a major consumer of bureau data for loan decisioning.
Emerging players
- Tala (mobile lending): Tala is a digital lender operating in Kenya that both consumes bureau data for underwriting and reports customer payment behavior to CRBs under the Digital Credit Providers Regulations. It is an emerging player adjacent to Metropol whose alternative data flows into Metropol's scoring models.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Metropol social profiles
Digital presenceMetropol compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Metropol financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metropol leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Metropol subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Metropol funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metropol M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metropol
What does Metropol do?
Metropol is a licensed Kenyan Credit Reference Bureau that aggregates full-file credit data from over 2,500 credit providers and delivers individual and business credit reports, Metro-Score credit scores (200-900 for individuals, 20-90 for businesses), CRB status checks, and clearance certificates. Through its Metropol Ratings division it additionally offers corporate, SME, financial institution, insurance, fund, structured finance, county, and sovereign credit ratings, while its MCMS subsidiary provides collections, skip tracing, and private investigation services.
Is Metropol a public or private company?
Metropol is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Metropol founded?
Metropol was founded in 2010. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Metropol based?
Metropol is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, in the Africa region.
How does Metropol make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Credit Reports and Certificates are the primary driver. The others are credit Rating Services, customer Data Reporting Partnerships and collections Services.
Who are Metropol's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TransUnion Africa (CRB Africa), Creditinfo Group and GCR Ratings (Global Credit Rating Co.). Broad incumbents are Experian, Dun & Bradstreet, CRIF and Fitch Solutions / Fitch Ratings. Compuscan (XDS) is listed as a regional player. Equity Credit Score (E-score / Equity Bank Kenya) is listed as an others. Tala (mobile lending) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Metropol have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metropol.
What industry is Metropol in?
Metropol's product category is Credit Information Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAKAI, Credit File Dispute Management & Consumer Data Remediation. Its NAICS code is 561450 and its SIC code is 7320.