Before a bank in Kuwait approves a loan or a credit card, it looks you up at the Credit Information Network, CINET. You have the right to see that file yourself, and to challenge anything in it that is wrong.
CINET was set up in 2001 and started work in April 2003. It is owned jointly by the Central Bank of Kuwait, ten banks and five finance companies, and it operates under Law No. 9 of 2019 on the exchange of credit information.
Getting your report
CINET lists three ways:
- The “CINET Kuwait” app, on iOS, Android and Huawei.
- A visit to CINET’s head office.
- Through the lender you already deal with.
On its website, the app is offered under the line “Get My Free Report”.
What is in it
- Personal details: name, ID type and number, nationality and contact information.
- Every credit facility, open and closed: loans, credit cards, financing.
- Your payment history, including any late or missed payments.
- Your credit rating and score.
- Legal records linked to financial obligations.
No member institution may view your report without your signed consent on an authorisation form. You can ask for the names of the institutions that looked you up, and complain if one did so without your permission.
Reading the rating
CINET sorts people into Excellent, Very Good, Good, Difficult and Risky. According to CINET, a good score is generally anything above 480. “Not available” means there is no credit history in the last two years to rate.
Paying late, paying only part of what is due, running cards up to their limit and taking on new credit all pull the score down.
Disputing an error
- Get a fresh copy first: a dispute is only accepted against a report issued within the last 15 days.
- Fill in the dispute form, at CINET’s office or through its website or app.
- Attach the report, a valid Civil ID and any documents that back up your claim.
- CINET says it replies within 15 days of the complaint reaching the relevant department.
- If you are not satisfied, you may take it to the regulator within 15 days of being told the outcome.
Photo: The Central Bank of Kuwait building; the Central Bank is one of CINET’s owners. Photograph by SamyrTotto, 2024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Source: CINET, Individuals page and FAQs.
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