MNT-Halan has used AI-powered credit scoring to bring more than 500,000 Egyptians with no previous credit history into formal financing, highlighting how alternative data is reshaping lending in Egypt.
The company’s Halan app combines consumer finance, digital payments, online shopping and investment services. According to the company, customer activity across these products generates signals about purchasing behavior, repayment patterns and everyday financial management.
Those signals feed MNT-Halan’s proprietary scoring model. A customer who has never taken a loan, for example, may still demonstrate creditworthiness through regular purchases and consistent transaction behavior on the platform.
More than half of MNT-Halan’s financing decisions are now fully automated, the company said. Loan decisions that previously took days can now be completed in minutes, while the company maintains that its risk standards remain in place.
The approach comes as Egypt expands financial access. The Central Bank of Egypt reported that 77.6% of adults held a formal financial account by the end of 2025. However, account ownership does not necessarily translate into access to borrowing, savings or investment products.
Ahmed Mohsen, MNT-Halan’s co-founder and chief technology officer, discussed the model in a blog published with the World Economic Forum. The broader challenge for lenders will be pairing automated scoring with transparency, fair treatment and human oversight.
Source: Waya
