How pension and Nafis income now appear on UAE credit reports

The bureau integrated data from the General Pension and Social Security Authority (GPSSA) and from the Nafis programme into its credit products. Salary information was already on the report. Pension and eligible Nafis support now sit beside it.

What changed on the credit report

Etihad Credit Bureau (ECB) is the federal credit information company. Banks and other lenders use its Individual Credit Report when they decide whether to approve a loan or credit card, and on what terms.

With the update, a retiree's GPSSA pension can show as verified income. So can Nafis support for eligible Emiratis in the private sector. That fuller income picture can affect the Income Utilisation Ratio (IUR). The IUR is the share of income already tied up in debt repayments. A stronger IUR can help some borrowers qualify for products they were previously assessed against with incomplete income data.

The change does not invent new income. It surfaces income that already existed but did not always appear cleanly on the lender's screen.

Who said what

Marwan Ahmed Lutfi is Director General of Etihad Credit Bureau. He said financial institutions can now form a more complete view of an individual's steady income and make better-informed credit decisions.

Faras Abdul Kareem Al Ramahi is Director General of GPSSA. He said the partnership supports better use of data for citizens' long-term financial well-being. Ghannam Al Mazrouei is Secretary General of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council. He said putting Nafis support on credit reports helps lenders assess whether beneficiaries can meet their obligations.

Those statements matter because they name the three bodies behind the data link: ECB, GPSSA, and the Nafis side of Emirati talent support.

Who this helps most

Two groups gain the most from the change:

• Retirees whose main recurring income is a GPSSA pension
• Emiratis receiving Nafis top-ups while working in the private sector

Both groups often had real, recurring money that lenders could not see cleanly on a standard salary-only report. The integration is meant to close that gap. Applicants should not have to re-explain the same paperwork from scratch every time.

If you fall into either group and plan a personal loan, mortgage top-up, or credit card, pull your report before you apply. Confirm the new income lines appear. If they do not, fix the data with ECB first.

What it does not guarantee

A fuller report is not automatic approval. Lenders still apply their own risk policies. Nafis support is programme-linked income, not a permanent salary on its own. Banks may weigh it as part of a wider assessment. They are not required to treat it as guaranteed long-term income for every product.

Before you apply for a loan or credit card, pull your Etihad Credit Bureau report. Check that pension or Nafis income appears correctly. Errors are easier to fix before a bank runs its assessment than after a rejection.

Keep one practical habit. When your income changes, re-check the report after a pay cycle or pension update. Do not assume the feed is instant for every product. If a line is missing, use ECB support channels and keep screenshots of what the report shows on the day you apply.

Residents without pension or Nafis income still use the same report for loans. Their salary data path is unchanged. The update mainly helps people whose income mix was incomplete on paper.