Equifax Australia and Occubuy Join Forces to Help Australian Renters Bridge the Gap to Home Ownership Through Open Score

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 3 September 2026 – Equifax Australia has announced a strategic partnership with AI-native consumer readiness platform Occubuy to help millions of Australian renters build a more clear, measurable pathway to home ownership.

Under the partnership, Occubuy has been named one of the first partners using Equifax Open Score. Developed by Equifax and powered by Mastercard’s secure open finance infrastructure, Open Score leverages Consumer Data Right (CDR) transaction data to provide a view of an individual's overall financial health. The collaboration enables renters to use their proven track record of on-time rent payments and consistent savings habits to demonstrate credit readiness when applying for a home loan.

The partnership announcement comes at a critical time for Australian housing affordability, as more Australians rent for longer and pay thousands of dollars each month - frequently matching or exceeding the cost of a mortgage repayment. Despite this ongoing commitment, traditional credit evaluation currently does not capture rental repayment consistency, leaving responsible renters with "thin" credit files (little to no credit history) or making it difficult for lenders to assess their true borrowing capacity under standard criteria. 

To solve this challenge, the initiative leverages Equifax Australia’s financial health scoring capabilities with Occubuy’s consumer platform. By allowing consumers to safely share consented bank transaction data, Equifax Open Score presents a multi-dimensional view of financial discipline alongside traditional credit reporting data.

"For millions of Australians, paying rent on time is one of the largest financial commitments they make each month. Yet under traditional credit assessment models, that financial reliability is invisible when applying for a mortgage," said Melanie Cochrane, CEO and Group Managing Director of Equifax A/NZ.  

"By moving beyond the existing credit assessment criteria and leveraging consented open banking data, Open Score aims to help turn everyday financial discipline into a tangible asset. Partnering with Occubuy puts this insight directly into the hands of renters - helping to create a fairer, more inclusive path to home ownership while giving lenders the confidence to support deserving, credit-ready buyers," added Melanie Cochrane.

Through Occubuy’s platform, enrolled members are incentivised to build home loan readiness. Occubuy rewards positive money habits - such as on-time rent payments and consistent saving - with points that carry real redemption value toward a first home purchase. Occubuy currently supports a growing member base of more than 20,000 members building toward home ownership across an ecosystem of over 30 housing and finance partners.  

“Our mission is to accelerate the home ownership journey,” said Dr Amy Shi-Nash, Co-Founder and CEO at Occubuy. “Buying a home is not a one-off approval; it is a journey that starts years before the transaction. We want to help our members see that reaching their goal is a real possibility.”

"Instead of feeling stuck in the renting cycle, consumers can now actively build toward buying a home. By pairing our consumer rewards and readiness platform with Equifax Australia’s Open Score and Mastercard's open finance platform, we’re turning daily money discipline into real progress toward a deposit and giving renters a fairer, clearer path to owning their own home," said Dr Amy Shi-Nash.

Equifax and Occubuy are officially inviting lenders, mortgage brokers, insurers, and proptech platforms to join the pilot program, giving industry partners early access to qualified applicants, backed by comprehensive financial insights. 

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ABOUT EQUIFAX INC.

At Equifax, we believe knowledge drives progress. As a global data, analytics, and technology company, we play an essential role in the global economy by helping financial institutions, companies, employers, and government agencies make critical decisions with greater confidence. Our unique blend of differentiated data, analytics, and cloud technology drives insights to power decisions to move people forward. Headquartered in Atlanta and supported by nearly 15,000 employees worldwide, Equifax operates or has investments in 24 countries in North America, Central and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. For more information, visit www.equifax.com.au or follow the company’s news on LinkedIn.

ABOUT EQUIFAX OPEN SCORE

Open Score utilises secure consumer-consented bank transaction data obtained through the Consumer Data Right (CDR). This data, which includes income, expenses and spending patterns, is analysed in real-time to assess a consumer's financial health. The result is a score between 0-10, presented alongside other key contributing factors to help consumers understand what influences their score.

ABOUT OCCUBUY

Occubuy is the first rewards and home-readiness platform that lets renters earn points for good financial habits, at no cost to them. Members earn Occubuy Points for verified behaviours, such as paying rent on time and saving regularly. These points turn everyday money habits into measurable progress toward home ownership. The platform uses open banking data shared with consent under Australia's Consumer Data Right. Occubuy partners with an ecosystem of 30+ housing and financial brands, giving property, financial and consumer companies a new way to reward the customers they want to reach. Thousands of members are now building financial readiness with the Occubuy app, available now on the App Store and Google Play. Occubuy is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Visit occubuy.com.au. 

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