In a country where micro, small, and medium enterprises[1] (MSMEs) make up 99.5% of all registered businesses and employ more than 62% of the workforce, securing financing remains one of the biggest hurdles for entrepreneurs. Kredit Hero, a Philippines-based AI SME loan marketplace, is aiming to address this persistent challenge with the launch of KreditCheck™, an AI-driven financial assessment tool that helps SMEs better understand how lenders evaluate their businesses—and how they can improve their chances of getting funded.
Kredit Hero, a financial technology startup based in the Philippines, has introduced KreditCheck™, an AI-powered financial assessment tool designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) better understand how banks and lenders view them.
The tool analyzes financial data and benchmarks businesses against the standards commonly used by credit officers and loan underwriters—allowing entrepreneurs to identify risks, flag weaknesses, and see where they stand long before walking into a bank.
“We see a lot of small businesses going into loan applications blind,” said Michel de Rijk, Kredit Hero’s co-founder, in an interview. “They don’t know why they’re rejected or how they could have prepared differently. KreditCheck is here to change that.”
A Persistent Problem for SMEs
For years, SMEs across the Philippines have struggled with limited access to financing, despite their importance to the broader economy. Often family-run and operating on slim margins, many SMEs find themselves rejected by traditional lenders, who rely on credit scoring models and financial ratios that business owners rarely have visibility into.
“There’s a major information gap,” de Rijk explained. “Lenders see one version of your business, and entrepreneurs see another. We want to bridge that.”
Unlike standard credit reports, KreditCheck™ goes beyond raw numbers by offering what Kredit Hero calls a “lender’s perspective.” Using AI algorithms, the tool analyzes a company’s key financial indicators, including liquidity, profitability, and solvency ratios. It then generates a report flagging critical areas for improvement and identifying potential red flags that could derail a loan application.
A DIY Credit Analyst—for ₱2,499
For an introductory price of ₱2,499 (about $45), SMEs can sign up for the service online and receive an in-depth financial health report. According to Kredit Hero’s website, the tool is designed to be both affordable and easy to use, with a simple registration process at kreditcheck.kredithero.com.
“We designed KreditCheck to democratize access to financial insights that are typically locked behind a bank’s closed doors,” de Rijk added.
Shifting the Power Dynamic
While Kredit Hero’s platform already connects SMEs to lenders through its AI-powered marketplace, KreditCheck™ adds a new dimension to its offering—empowering business owners to take a more proactive approach to their financing journey.
By giving SMEs a clearer picture of their financial footing, Kredit Hero hopes to tip the scales in their favor. Instead of approaching lenders reactively, SMEs can now prepare strategically, armed with data-driven insights that may help them negotiate better terms or avoid rejection altogether.
Whether this will significantly alter loan approval rates for SMEs remains to be seen, but for many business owners, simply having access to the same lens lenders use could prove invaluable.
“In a way, we’re giving SMEs their own credit analyst,” de Rijk said.
Tech-Driven Solutions for an Underserved Sector
As fintech startups continue to reshape the financing landscape in Southeast Asia, Kredit Hero is betting that tools like KreditCheck™ can help close the gap between small businesses and the capital they need to grow.
While the broader fintech ecosystem often focuses on speed and automation in loan processing, Kredit Hero’s latest offering stands out for tackling the issue at its root: the asymmetry of information between lenders and borrowers.
“At the end of the day, we believe empowered SMEs make for a stronger economy,” de Rijk said.