Credit Week Q&A with Experian

As Director of Financial Crime Market Engagement at Experian, Grant Macdonald brings more than two decades of expertise in data, analytics, and compliance. A respected voice in anti-money laundering (AML), identity, and fraud prevention, he’s passionate about helping organisations future-proof their credit strategies. Ahead of his appearance at Credit Week 2025, we sat down with Graham to talk about the evolving credit landscape and how technology is reshaping risk management.

What are the most significant challenges facing the credit industry today?

The ability to innovate beyond traditional credit risk assessment, through the adoption and rapid testing of new and alternative data sources using the latest tech - Agentic and Generative AI.

What excites you most about participating in Credit Week as a speaker this year?

Recent advances in technology makes this year a particularly exciting time to reassess how the industry plans for the future.

Which session or theme at Credit Week are you most looking forward to, and why?

Understanding risk through a new lens - how new data, connected, can create critical context that is missing today.

What advice would you give to companies looking to innovate while ensuring compliance in today’s regulatory environment?

Explainability is everything. Make sure your processes and models can be deconstructed, documented and are audit ready.

What role does technology and/or AI play in transforming the credit industry, and how can businesses leverage it effectively?

Custom credit scoring for the masses. AI will reduce the cost of model development, making custom models the new norm. This will enable hyper-personalisation of deals for your customers, leveraging new and exciting data sources.

What do you hope to take away from Credit Week 2025?

Context is key. Customer Risk Assessment needs to be holistic, considering Credit, Fraud, AML and ESG risk.