As a representative of ANBC and a member of the World Bank's ICCR, I have participated in various international events and one topic has been highlighted on the agendas: the concept of Cross-border Credit in the global financial scenario, driven by growing economic integration and the expansion of international trade. This type of credit, which allows financing to be granted between countries, is being consolidated as a strategic vector for global financial transformation.

To give you an idea of the volume, in 2024, the global stock of cross-border bank credit reached US$ 32.6 trillion, with growth in emerging economies such as Asia (+US$ 47 billion) and Africa and the Middle East (+US$ 14 billion) standing out.. These figures are not just financial indicators, they are signs that access to credit is becoming more democratic, more connected and more inclusive on all continents.

Initiatives such as that of Estonian fintech company Mifundo, in partnership with Experian, The European Commission's data portability program already allows citizens to take their credit history with them when they move to another country, covering 70% of European territory. This data portability represents more than efficiency: it's the freedom to take your financial reputation with you wherever you go. Banks that have adopted this solution report a sevenfold reduction in defaults and a 15% increase in turnover.

In Latin America, Brazil has been attracting international credit for the industrial sector, while Mexico and Chile are making progress on regulatory modernization.

Examples in Asia also stand out: the South Korea allows more than 70,000 Filipino residents to use their credit history in the country of origin to access local funding. E in India, the UPI system processes more than 15 billion transactions a month, with total interoperability, zero cost to the user and integration with systems such as Singapore's PayNow, an example of how technology can be an ally of inclusion.

In Africa, companies such as South Africa's Atlas Finance operate in countries such as Lesotho, Namibia and Mozambique, promoting access to credit with responsibility and social impact.

In the Pacific, the World Bank is preparing a regional project to tackle the downturn in correspondence banking services, promoting FPS and digital inclusion. And in the Balkans, legal reforms and the adoption of QR codes and FPS reduced the cost of remittances from 8% to 6.8% and increased the use of digital payments by up to 145%.

Digitalization has been the driving force behind this transformation. Technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and open APIs are making credit faster, secure and accessible. The use of portable financial identities, such as the Legal Entity Identifier (LEI), is being promoted globally to facilitate compliance, KYC and interoperability. The ISO 20022 standard, already adopted by more than 140 jurisdictions, should become mandatory by November 2025, The company's financial messages are standardized and automated.

The G20 has set bold targets for 2027The goal is to reduce the average cost of remittances to less than 1%, ensure that 75% of payments are completed within one hour and expand access to at least three sending and receiving options per country. There's still a way to go, as the average cost of remittances stands at 6.4% and only 33.5% of retail payments are settled within an hour, but progress is visible and irreversible.

In this scenario, credit bureaus play an essential role. They are the ones who ensure that trust travels with people, that data is used responsibly and that credit is a bridge. ANBC, as an articulator of good practices in the sector, has a strategic role to play in building a fairer, more efficient and interoperable cross-border ecosystem.

The future of international credit will be digital, collaborative and citizen-centered. And it has already begun to be built, with data, technology and, above all, purpose.