Choosing a credit bureau in Paraguay
Paraguay's credit data is held across four BCP-authorised bureaus: Equifax, which operates Informconf, BICSA, Criterion and Infomercio. A bureau contract sets reporting duties alongside access to its data: every user must report positive and negative portfolio data to each bureau it signs with, including full repayments within 24 hours. You must identify the bureau to the applicant before checking and provide a copy of the report when a refusal relies on it. That leaves you deciding which bureau's data merits those obligations.
A second bureau adds reporting duties
A second bureau can give you another chance to find an applicant’s file. That is why signing with Equifax and BICSA may look like a straightforward way to widen your search.
The contract gives you access to reports, and your reporting duties extend to each bureau you contract with. Under Ley 6534, you must regularly provide positive and negative data on your portfolio to every bureau you contract with. You must also report a full repayment within 24 hours.
So signing a second bureau adds a reporting destination as well as a source to query. Confirm a regular reporting cadence with each bureau. Include each bureau’s reporting requirements in the operating plan and proposal comparison.
Verify authorisation for each proposed bureau
Check authorisation before comparing what a bureau might add. Only a bureau authorised by the Banco Central del Paraguay (BCP), the central bank, may provide credit reports. Reports from 2024 named Equifax Paraguay, BICSA, Criterion and Infomercio among the authorised bureaus. A credit bureau is distinct from the registers run by the BCP and INCOOP, Paraguay’s cooperative regulator. BICSA, or Buró de Información Comercial S.A., was founded by CRECER, an organisation for casas de crédito.
| Source | Run by | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Equifax Paraguay (Informconf) | Equifax | First BCP-authorised bureau, April 2024 |
| BICSA | Founded by CRECER, about 40 shareholder firms | Named as BCP-authorised, 2024 |
| Criterion | Criterion | Named as BCP-authorised, 2024 |
| Infomercio | Infomercio | Named as BCP-authorised, 2024 |
| Central de Riesgo Crediticio | BCP | Its own rules, free self-query since March 2026 |
| SCR | INCOOP | Cooperative risk register |
Use those reported names to organise your shortlist, then verify each proposed bureau with the BCP before signing. The BCP’s Central de Riesgo Crediticio has its own rules, and INCOOP runs a risk register for cooperatives. Treat these registers as separate from bureau contracts.
Applicant consent and reporting need clear owners
Once you know which bureau you are considering, assign the work that comes with querying it and reporting to it. The applicant must know a query is being made before it happens, and the reporting duty continues after the loan is made.
Before a query, tell the applicant that you will make it, which bureau you will use, its purpose and the applicant’s rights. Obtain express consent informed of the purpose, and keep a copy. Consent may be recorded in writing, electronically or by another reliable means. It is required for both the query and reporting. Once credit is granted, consent to reporting lasts until the contract is performed and cannot be revoked during the loan.
Use the report only as an input to credit analysis and for anti-money-laundering checks. If you refuse credit based on the report, tell the applicant and give them a copy.
For each contracted bureau, name an internal owner for the reporting run. Set up a recurring process to provide positive and negative portfolio data to each bureau through its agreed process, and a separate way to report full repayments within 24 hours. Give complaints a clear owner and route to resolution within five business days. Record a complaint as “reclamo en trámite” while it is being handled.
| Step | The duty | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Before the query | Consent, kept, and tell the person the bureau, purpose and rights | Ley 6534 arts. 6, 18, Res. 3/2023 arts. 22, 27 |
| A refusal on the report | Tell the person and give a copy of the report | Ley 6534 art. 18 |
| After you lend | Report positive and negative data to every bureau you sign, repayment within 24 hours | Ley 6534 art. 14, Res. 3/2023 art. 27 |
| A complaint | Resolved within 5 business days | Res. 3/2023 arts. 9, 10 |
| Old data | Negative at most 5 years, unlitigated overdue 3 years, positive at least 10 | Res. 3/2023 art. 11, Ley 6534 art. 17 |
Compare bureau strategies before signing
Compare the bureau strategies on your own applicants before signing a second contract. Test the first bureau alone, the second alone, both together, and the second only when the first has no file. This last option tests whether the second source finds useful information for applicants whose files the first bureau cannot locate.
For each strategy, compare which applicants are found and flagged, including additional bad applicants flagged and good applicants flagged. Compare the price per call, the loss per bad loan and the profit per good one. Also include the reporting work attached to each contract.
The data-source waterfall compares source strategies using hit and flag outcomes, call prices, losses and profit. Decisimo’s data-source documentation explains that a data source can connect to any REST API or SOAP web service. A failed call routes to a fallback branch like any other data source error.
Before signing with a bureau, take these actions in order:
- Verify with the BCP that each proposed bureau is authorised before signing.
- Before querying, tell the applicant that a query will be made, which bureau you will use, its purpose and the applicant’s rights. Obtain express consent informed of the purpose and keep a copy for both querying and reporting.
- Use the report only as an input to credit analysis and for anti-money-laundering checks.
- If you refuse credit based on the report, tell the applicant and give them a copy.
- Set an owner and reporting process for each contracted bureau. Provide positive and negative portfolio data regularly, and report each full repayment within 24 hours.
- Assign complaints to an owner, record them as “reclamo en trámite” while they are being handled, and resolve them within five business days.
- Before signing a second bureau, compare the four strategies on your own applicants. Test calling the second only when the first has no file, and include call cost, expected credit outcomes and added reporting work in the decision.
Questions about Paraguay credit bureaus
How many credit bureaus are there in Paraguay?
Four were named as BCP-authorised in reports from 2024: Equifax Paraguay, BICSA, Criterion and Infomercio.
Is Informconf the same as Equifax?
Informconf is the former name associated with Equifax Paraguay.
Do I have to report to the bureau?
Yes. You must regularly provide positive and negative portfolio data to every bureau you contract with, and report a full repayment within 24 hours.
What must I tell an applicant before checking their credit?
Tell the applicant that you will make a query, which bureau you will use, the purpose and their rights. Obtain express consent informed of the purpose and keep a copy.
How long does a debt stay on a credit report in Paraguay?
Negative data may remain for up to five years from the first day of arrears, subject to significant events. An unlitigated overdue debt may not be disclosed more than three years after listing, and positive data is kept and published for at least ten years.
What must I give an applicant I refuse?
If you refuse credit based on a credit report, tell the applicant and give them a copy of the report.
Who can use a credit bureau in Paraguay?
A credit provider can use an authorised bureau to assess an applicant, with the applicant’s express consent.
Can a cooperative use a Paraguayan bureau?
Yes. A cooperative can use an authorised bureau, and INCOOP also runs a separate risk register for cooperatives.
Can an applicant check the BCP's Central de Riesgo themselves?
Yes. The BCP’s Central de Riesgo Crediticio has offered free self-query since March 2026.
Can the applicant sign the bureau consent electronically?
Yes. Consent may be recorded electronically.
Since when must a Paraguayan bureau be authorised by the BCP?
Since 1 May 2024.
Which bureau was authorised first in Paraguay?
Equifax Paraguay, under BCP Resolution 15 of April 2024.
How quickly must a complaint about bureau data be resolved?
Resolve it within five business days, recording it as “reclamo en trámite” while it is being handled.
When does Paraguay’s data protection law take effect?
Ley 7593/2025 is reported to take effect about November 2027. It will bring safeguards for decisions based solely on automated processing, while Ley 6534 remains in force for credit data.
Who founded BICSA?
BICSA was founded by CRECER. CRECER is an organisation for casas de crédito.
What does BICSA stand for?
BICSA stands for Buró de Información Comercial S.A. It was founded by CRECER, an organisation for casas de crédito.
