ACCIS

What ACCIS does

ACCIS (Association of Consumer Credit Information Suppliers) is a private membership trade association founded in 1990 in Dublin and now headquartered at Rue de Spa 28, Brussels, Belgium. It represents over 40 credit reference agencies (CRAs) across more than 28 European countries plus 11 associate and affiliate members spread across the Americas, Asia, and the Middle East, positioning it as the largest industry group of its kind globally. The association does not develop or sell technology products; instead it functions as an industry body focused on policy advocacy, regulatory engagement, cross-border data sharing frameworks, and industry standards development for the credit reporting sector. Its core activities include shaping EU legislation on GDPR, the AI Act, the Consumer Credit Directive, the Data Act, and Open Finance; coordinating cross-border data exchange (59% of members share data cross-border as of 2025, up from 34% in 2020); and convening the European CRA community through committees, roundtables, and the annual conference co-hosted with BIIA, CDIA, and Alacred.

ACCIS generates revenue through membership dues from credit reference agencies, associates, and affiliates under a subscription-recurring model; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is community-led: engagement occurs through working committees, a fortnightly industry news bulletin, the Members' Only portal, March and December members' roundtables, and an annual June conference. Distribution is direct (enterprise membership sales and events) plus self-serve through the public website (accis.eu) and the consumer-facing CheckYourCreditReport.eu portal. The Management Board is composed of senior leadership from the largest European CRAs — including SCHUFA, Equifax, Experian, Creditinfo Group, CRIF, BIK, KKB, and Enento — with Mariusz Cholewa (President of BIK) serving as ACCIS President since May 2020 and Enrique Velázquez as Director General.

Product surface consists of industry publications rather than software: the quarterly Credit Market Indicators Newsletter (launched 2024), the BNPL Best Practices Report (2024), the Credit and Financial Literacy Report (2022), the Legal and Regulatory Handbook on Credit Reporting, periodic membership survey reports, and position papers on Managing Data, Enabling Transactions, and Digital Transformation. The organization is registered in the EU Transparency Register (ID: 21868711871-63) and co-hosts the World Consumer Credit Reporting Conference, which draws approximately 200 delegates from over 60 countries. Strategic co-development partnerships are maintained with FEBIS, BIIA, CDIA, ICCR (hosted by the World Bank), the SME Finance Forum, and ACIPE.

Name

ACCIS

Legal name

Association of Consumer Credit Information Suppliers (ACCIS)

Website

https://accis.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACCIS is a Brussels-based trade association representing 40+ European credit reference agencies across 28+ countries, providing policy advocacy, industry publications, and networking for the credit reporting sector. It generates revenue through membership dues from CRAs, associates, and affiliates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brussels

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: ACCIS generates revenue through membership fees from credit reference agencies, associate members, and affiliates. Membership provides access to the Members' Only section, industry news bulletins, networking events, and opportunities to influence policy and legislation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

ACCIS is a private membership trade association that represents credit reference agencies (CRAs) across Europe and other continents. It provides collective policy advocacy and regulatory engagement with EU institutions, industry publications and surveys, member networking through conferences and roundtables, and consumer financial literacy initiatives. Membership is open to organizations that collect and distribute credit information on consumers to a substantial extent, with 40+ member organizations across 27-28 European countries plus associates and affiliates globally.

Product overview

ACCIS (Association of Consumer Credit Information Suppliers) is a trade association representing credit reference agencies, not a product company. Its offerings consist of membership services, industry publications (Credit Market Indicators Newsletter, Credit and Financial Literacy Report, BNPL Best Practices Report, Legal and Regulatory Handbook), educational resources (CheckYourCreditReport.eu), conferences and roundtables, and policy advocacy. These publications and initiatives collectively support the credit referencing industry and promote financial literacy across Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Credit Market Indicators Newsletter A quarterly publication containing data curated from credit bureaus across Europe, providing stakeholders with insights into the dynamics of the European credit landscape.
• Credit and Financial Literacy Report A collection of best practices from ACCIS members aimed at improving credit and financial literacy in Europe, showcasing member initiatives such as online quizzes, mentor training, and educational games.
• BNPL Best Practices Report Report addressing the intersection of Buy Now, Pay Later services and European credit referencing practices, providing best practices for BNPL providers and credit reference agencies.
• Legal and Regulatory Handbook on Credit Reporting A handbook describing the basic rules and features of the legal/regulatory framework under which credit reporting services operate across European countries.
• CheckYourCreditReport.eu Consumer educational website providing information on credit reports, credit scores, and credit reporting agencies, connecting European consumers to ACCIS member credit reporting agencies.
• ACCIS Membership Survey Reports Periodic surveys of ACCIS members highlighting main business indicators, characteristics of credit referencing agencies, data types and quality, competitive landscape, and regulatory frameworks. The 2025 survey covered 34 members across 27 countries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 member organizations across Europe representing the largest group of credit reference agencies globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FEBIS (Federation of Business Information Services)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCIS and FEBIS collaborate on European data strategy initiatives. Joint papers include feedback on the European Data Governance Act and a European strategy for data. Both organizations represent providers of credit reporting and business information services supporting an EU single market for data.
• SME Finance ForumminorGTM or Marketing PartnerACCIS collaborates with the SME Finance Forum on initiatives related to SME credit access and financial inclusion in Europe.
• ICCR (International Committee on Credit Reporting)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCIS works with the ICCR, hosted by the World Bank, on international credit reporting standards and best practices.
• BIIA (Business Information Industry Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIIA partners with ACCIS on the World Consumer Credit Reporting Conference and other industry initiatives. BIIA represents business information providers globally.
• ACIPEminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCIS collaborates with ACIPE on industry initiatives and events related to credit information and financial services.
• CDIA (Consumer Data Industry Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCIS co-hosts the World Consumer Credit Reporting Conference with CDIA and other associations, bringing together credit reporting professionals from around the world.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• ACA International: US-based trade association for the credit, collections, and debt-buying industry. While broader in scope than ACCIS, ACA International represents a comparable membership-driven advocacy model for the consumer credit ecosystem.
• NACM (National Association of Credit Management): US trade association focused on business-to-business credit management. While oriented toward B2B credit rather than consumer credit referencing, NACM is a comparable established trade-association peer in the broader credit information industry.
• European Banking Federation: Brussels-based umbrella association for the European banking sector. Although its members are banks rather than CRAs, the EBF engages on overlapping EU dossiers (GDPR, AI Act, Open Finance) and is a key counterpart for ACCIS in Brussels policy work.

Direct peers

• FEBIS (Federation of Business Information Services): European federation representing providers of credit reporting and business information services. FEBIS and ACCIS collaborate on European data strategy papers and address overlapping member companies in the EU credit and business data ecosystem.
• CDIA (Consumer Data Industry Association): US trade association for the consumer data industry, including credit reporting agencies. CDIA co-hosts the World Consumer Credit Reporting Conference with ACCIS, serving as the principal North American counterpart on consumer credit reporting advocacy.
• ICCR (International Committee on Credit Reporting): Hosted by the World Bank, ICCR brings together policymakers, regulators, and credit reporting practitioners from emerging and developed markets. ACCIS engages ICCR on international credit reporting standards, making it a directly comparable peer body.
• BIIA (Business Information Industry Association): Global trade association for business information providers, with overlapping membership of credit bureau and business data companies. ACCIS and BIIA co-host the World Consumer Credit Reporting Conference, making BIIA the closest direct peer.

Regional players

• UK Finance: UK industry body for banks and financial services, with strong credit and consumer-protection policy work. UK Finance overlaps with ACCIS on UK and EU credit reporting policy but operates at the lender rather than bureau level.
• ARCA (Australian Retail Credit Association): Australian industry body for consumer and commercial credit reporting. ARCA plays the same national advocacy and standards role that ACCIS plays at the pan-European level, serving as a comparable regional peer.

Others

• European Data Protection Board (EDPB): EU body that issues binding decisions under GDPR and oversees national data protection authorities. ACCIS regularly engages the EPDB on data protection guidance affecting credit reporting, making it the principal regulatory counterpart rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ACCISeu
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC3ZwBZRIVfDNWbacjOn89SQ?view_as=subscriber
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/accis-eu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ACCIS