Utility Payments May Become Additional Credit-Score Data in Ecuador

A new Ecuadorian credit-information rule could make regular utility payments part of the data considered in future lending decisions. A Junta resolution in force since August 20, 2026 allows payments for electricity, water, telephone service, and other utilities to be treated as supplementary information in credit evaluation.

What changed, and what did not

The key word is supplementary. The rule does not mean that every electricity, water, or telephone provider is already sending payment histories automatically to the credit bureau.

It also does not create an automatic right to a loan. A utility bill can show payment behavior, but it does not by itself establish income, available cash, debt capacity, or the full risk profile a lender needs.

The current credit-score scale runs from 1 to 999. The average score in June 2026 was 916, one point below May, according to the figures cited in the report.

Taxes could also be added as complementary information. Existing mandatory sources include the commercial sector, insurance and reinsurance, telecommunications, and internet providers. The new rule adds a possible data layer, but the system still depends on implementation and data-protection decisions.

The implementation window

The Superintendencia has up to one and a half years to implement the resolution. The SEPS has a one-year implementation period.

That means the legal permission and the operational reality are separate stages. Providers, bureaus, regulators, and lenders will still need to determine how data is transferred, verified, corrected, protected, and used.

Economist Sonia Zurita of ESPAE-ESPOL said the measure could help people who lack a financial history. That is the strongest case for the change: a person who pays recurring obligations may have a record even without a long history of bank borrowing.

But punctual payment is not the same thing as demonstrated repayment capacity. A household can pay utilities on time while having limited room for a large new obligation.

Marco Antonio Rodríguez of Asobanca argued that more data can improve risk evaluation and access to credit. Whether that happens will depend on the quality of the data and how lenders weigh it.

What this means for expats

Foreign residents who use Ecuadorian utilities should keep account information and payment receipts organized. That is useful for ordinary administration today and could become more relevant if the data layer becomes operational.

Residents should also avoid assuming that a perfect utility record guarantees approval or raises a score by a predictable amount. The resolution permits supplementary use; it does not publish a universal scoring formula.

The next developments to watch are implementation rules, provider participation, correction procedures, and privacy safeguards. Until those are clear, the change is best understood as a framework for future credit information rather than an immediate change to every resident’s score.