Azericard and Mastercard develop new credit risk assessment model

Azericard has developed a new model in collaboration with Mastercard to more accurately assess the creditworthiness of bank customers and reduce the risk of payment delays in Azerbaijan. Zakir Ahmadov, Deputy Director of Azericard, announced that the model utilizes the ‘SHAP’ (Shapley Additive Explanations) approach, originally used in football analytics, to identify which factors positively or negatively impact a customer's ability to make timely payments.

The initiative aims to provide financial opportunities for the approximately 57 percent of the Azerbaijani population that lacks a formal credit history. By analyzing transaction data from bank cards—including income, expenses, and spending habits—the model can evaluate the repayment capacity of individuals who do not have records in the Azerbaijan Credit Bureau.

Separately, Mastercard clarified that its payment services are operating normally following previous reports of potential technical difficulties with Apple Pay and Google Pay in Azerbaijan. The company stated that the earlier notification regarding system upgrades was retracted and that cardholders can continue using mobile wallets without interruption.