Navigating Uganda’s Evolving Credit Landscape: New Credit Reporting Policies

In 2025, Uganda’s financial regulators, including the Bank of Uganda, have accelerated initiatives to broaden participation in the national credit information system, enabling a more comprehensive reporting of borrower data across lenders. The initiative aims to include both positive and negative loan histories for individuals and businesses. By linking loans to the National Identification Number (NIN) and integrating diverse credit providers into the reporting framework, lenders can better assess borrower risk profiles. This reform is expected to benefit entrepreneurs, women-owned businesses, refugees, and informal sector operators who traditionally struggle to access formal credit due to the absence of documented credit histories. Enhanced credit information systems are likely to reduce predatory lending and support fairer pricing of credit, although borrowers should still monitor their credit reports and understand how their credit actions affect their long-term borrowing capacity.