Register became more established in its second year

The Positive credit register completed its first full calendar year in 2025, which involved many new developments and even surprising events. Overall, the register was more stable and there were fewer disruptions than in the first year of operation. We are continuously developing the system based on customer feedback and experiences from production.

– Our activities have become well established, and there were hardly any disruptions to the Positive credit register last year. Unfortunately, two planned service breaks became prolonged due to issues in the system, but otherwise the register worked as it should, says Tiina Roos, Product Owner of the Positive credit register.

Customer service contacts to the Positive credit register and the number of visitors to the website increased considerably compared to the previous year. For example, the number of visitors to the register’s website grew from about 1,600,000 in 2024 to about 8,600,000 visitors, so nearly by 7 million. In percentage terms, the increase was an amazing 429%. 

In addition, more and more private individuals have started using Suomi.fi Messages and have their first interaction with the register when they apply for a loan and receive a notification via Suomi.fi Messages from the Positive credit register. This way, they end up on our website and e-service.

Increased number of voluntary bans on credits

The register had an action-packed start to 2025 when the Valio data breach came out in the media in February. As a result of the data breach, the number of voluntary bans on credit almost doubled. The situation also led to an exceptionally high number of customer contacts, which caused a temporary backlog in our customer service: The number of calls to the customer service increased almost ninefold. The number of visitors to the register’s website also multiplied.

– We had not prepared for such a high rate of calls at once, which temporarily led to unreasonable queue times. Still, this case showed that a free-of-charge voluntary credit ban is a necessary service and that the Positive credit register can contribute to preventing some elements of identity theft. Our customer service is also now better prepared for similar situations, explains Marjaana Ohralahti, the Primary SME of the Positive credit register.

Register development progressed on schedule

The development of the Positive credit register progressed according to schedule: As of December 2025, lenders have been able to register loans taken out by self-employed individuals and agricultural and forestry operators, for example. The loans are displayed in the private individuals’ e-service and credit register extracts ordered by lenders as soon as the lender has reported the credit to the register. 

– The development had a particular impact on self-employed individuals and agricultural and forestry operators, as some of their loans had not previously been included in the register. In the future, the loans they have taken out for their business will appear in the register. This gives them a clearer overall picture of their credit responsibilities, and they are able to manage their finances more accurately, explains Aino Sarakorpi, Program Director for the Positive credit register.

The reporting of these so-called second-stage loans will continue on schedule in 2026. Utilising this information in consumer lending has been possible as soon as it has been reported to the register. 

– Last year’s main development measure – lenders having the ability to submit reports and the register being able to receive second-stage loan data – went off without a hitch. The systems are working as they should, and we did not get any feedback from lenders about any challenges in reporting the data, says Sarakorpi.

The conclusion of the second stage is fast approaching in April 2026, which marks the point when these second-stage loans can be used for non-consumer credit lending, for example when a self-employed individual applies for loan for their business activities.

Developing the register and communications based on feedback

The Positive credit register receives a fair amount of feedback and development suggestions from customers and stakeholder groups. Each year, we organise various surveys for our stakeholders, and our website has a feedback form that people can use to send us development ideas and feedback at any time. Our customer service also listens to and collects feedback. Last year, we used the feedback to update our website, guidelines, user interface and services, and more.

– We read and process each piece of feedback. We listen to our customers, and if a wish or suggestion is one that would benefit several taxpayers or stakeholders, and there are no legal or technical obstacles to it, we aim to implement it, says Ohralahti.

Based on the customer experience survey conducted in autumn 2025, the register as a whole is considered to be functional and reliable. Of course, there is room for improvement – survey respondents wished that information was better up to date and to have clearer usability and instructions. In addition, there is a plan on operational improvements and clearer guidelines for setting a voluntary credit ban and what its impacts are. 

In June 2025, we also conducted our first ever website visitor survey to collect information on how customer-friendly, usable and comprehensible our website is. The results and feedback of the survey were generally good, but we also received development ideas that we have started to implement. Based on the feedback, we improved features such as the e-service login and gave our stakeholders more detailed instructions on the deadlines for reporting data and removing incorrect data from the register.

Self-employed individuals’ income data missing from the register is still a hot topic

After the register opened in 2024, self-employed individuals’ challenges with obtaining credit began to emerge. The challenges continued in 2025 and were related to the fact that self-employed individuals’ income data is not visible on credit register extracts. This is due to the fact that this information is not reported to the Incomes Register, which is the source of the income data extracts.

– We reminded lenders over the last year that, especially when dealing with self-employed individuals, they have to use other sources in addition to the credit register extract to check the loan applicant’s income. We also organised joint events with bodies such as the Federation of Finnish Enterprises. We will continue this work and try to improve our guidance this year as well, says Ohralahti. 

The Government has also taken note of the situation with entrepreneurs and is proposing relevant changes in its employment package.

Close cooperation with lenders

The Positive credit register acts as a recipient and intermediary of credit information. We are not able to assess whether a loan has been incorrectly reported to the register. Correcting errors always requires working together with lenders, and this was one of our points of focus last year. We will continue to regularly arrange meetings with lenders, update our guidelines and report any errors on the website.

–  Cooperation requires effective interaction and open communication on both sides. We have been pleased to note that communication between the register and lenders works well and that cooperation is actively being developed on both sides, says Aki Luotola, Customer Relations Manager of the register.

More comprehensive information for private individuals

The EU Consumer Credit Agreement Directive is entering into force in 2026, which will result in changes to the Positive credit register as well. The directive obliges controllers to inform private individuals of late payment data submitted to the register about them. Development work on reporting this information has started. 

In 2027, data on the apartment-specific credit exposures of housing company loans will also be transferred to the register. At that point, the data will be transferred to the register directly from the National Land Survey’s Residential and Commercial Property Information System.

– Apartment-specific credit liabilities are being added to the Positive credit register because they account for a significant share of the debt burden of Finnish households. That is why the data on these loans is key in combating over-indebtedness. This information is also essential for developing the analysis and supervision of financial stability and credit markets, says Project Manager Raisa Mettala.

The project related to the transfer of apartment-specific credit liabilities was launched at the beginning of 2025 in cooperation with the National Land Survey of Finland.