/smartcredit

This project repository is from the class capstone project for BIA (Business and Information System Architecture) course at Fanshawe College, Fall 2023.

Primary LanguageJupyter NotebookMIT LicenseMIT

Smart Credit: Buy Now Pay Later

Introduction

Welcome to the innovative world of Smart Credit, a groundbreaking approach to credit and finance in today's technology-driven era. This project bridges the gap between traditional financial practices and modern fintech, offering a unique solution: Buy Now Pay Later. We aim to reshape how credit is viewed and utilized globally.

Problem Statement

Recent Trends: The landscape of unsecured lending has witnessed a significant upswing, particularly in the U.S. and other developed nations. This shift is largely due to:

  • Increased number of applicants for financial services.
  • Enhanced awareness and accessibility among borrowers.
  • Rising investments in fintech startups.

The POS Lending Model: Since 2016, Point of Sale (POS) lending has emerged as a formidable player, aiming to capture a significant market share from traditional credit card systems. This model is attractive due to:

  • Integration into the online shopping experience.
  • Potential to significantly elevate online business conversion rates.
  • Strengthening of customer loyalty for both shoppers and retailers.

Challenges: One major challenge is the higher risk of loan defaults, as these platforms often cater to individuals who might not secure financing from traditional banks.

Relevance and Significance

Our tool, designed to assess creditworthiness based on spending habits, offers numerous benefits, especially for newcomers to Canada:

  1. Inclusion of Newcomers: Traditional financial systems often exclude individuals who lack a credit history, such as newcomers to a country. By using spending habits as a basis for creditworthiness, Smart Credit includes this demographic, allowing them access to credit and other financial services. This is particularly significant in countries like Canada, where immigrants play a vital role in the economy but often face barriers in accessing financial services due to their lack of local credit history.
  2. Improved Accuracy: Traditional credit scores are based on a set of standardized criteria that may not fully capture an individual's financial reliability. By analyzing spending habits, Smart Credit can potentially uncover patterns that indicate financial responsibility, even in the absence of a credit history. This leads to a more nuanced and accurate assessment of creditworthiness.
  3. Risk Assessment: For financial institutions, understanding the risk profile of individuals without a traditional credit history is challenging. Smart Credit's approach can offer a new dimension in risk assessment, enabling these institutions to make more informed decisions about whom to lend to, thereby potentially reducing the incidence of defaults.
  4. Responsible Lending: By providing a more comprehensive view of an individual’s financial behavior, lenders can make more responsible lending decisions. This not only benefits the lenders by reducing their risk but also ensures that borrowers are not offered credit beyond their means to repay.
  5. Financial Inclusion: A key aspect of Smart Credit is promoting financial inclusion. By offering credit assessment tools that consider more than just traditional credit scores, individuals who are typically excluded from the financial system – such as young adults, immigrants, or those with irregular income – can gain access to essential financial services.
  6. Competitive Advantage: Financial institutions that adopt Smart Credit can differentiate themselves in the market. By offering credit to a wider range of customers, these institutions can expand their customer base, particularly among underserved groups.
  7. Personalized Products: Understanding a customer's spending behavior allows financial institutions to tailor their products and services to individual needs. This customization can lead to better customer satisfaction and loyalty.
  8. Reduced Dependence on Collateral: Traditional lending often requires collateral, which can be a barrier for many potential borrowers. Smart Credit's approach can reduce the need for collateral by assessing creditworthiness based on actual financial behavior, opening up lending possibilities for those without significant assets.
  9. Faster Decision-Making: Traditional credit assessments can be time-consuming. Smart Credit’s methodology can streamline this process, allowing for quicker loan approvals and enhancing customer experience.
  10. Data Security and Privacy: In an era where data breaches are a significant concern, Smart Credit’s commitment to robust data security and privacy is crucial. Ensuring that customer data is handled securely builds trust and is essential for regulatory compliance.

In summary, the relevance and significance of Smart Credit lie in its potential to transform the lending landscape, making it more inclusive, accurate, and responsive to the needs of both lenders and borrowers. This approach not only benefits individuals who have been traditionally marginalized in the financial system but also offers financial institutions new opportunities for growth and service enhancement.

Conclusion

Smart Credit's Buy Now Pay Later system is more than just a financial tool; it's a step towards a more inclusive and adaptive financial ecosystem. We are committed to reshaping the credit landscape, making it accessible, efficient, and secure for everyone.