Takseet
Approving the "Unapproved": Takseet's Thin-File Revolution
How a regional BNPL leader increased approvals by 62% while reducing defaults by 40% using cashflow-based credit scoring instead of traditional bureaus.
Key Results
Approval Rate
Bad Debt Rate
Decision Time
Monthly GMV
About Takseet
Takseet (تقسيط, Arabic for "installments") is a leading Buy Now Pay Later platform serving Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait. Founded in Cairo in 2020, the company enables consumers to split purchases into interest-free installments at checkout, partnering with over 3,000 merchants across electronics, fashion, home goods, and healthcare.
By 2023, Takseet had processed over EGP 2 billion in transactions but faced a fundamental problem: their reliance on traditional credit bureaus meant rejecting 58% of applicants at checkout. Many of these rejections were "thin-file" customers, people with limited credit history who were actually reliable payers.
The company needed a way to assess creditworthiness beyond bureau scores, without sacrificing the instant checkout experience that BNPL demands. Sahl's cashflow-based scoring provided the answer.
Company Snapshot
The Thin-File Paradox
Traditional credit scoring was leaving money on the table, and customers frustrated at checkout.
58% Rejection Rate
More than half of checkout applicants were declined, mostly due to thin credit files.
Cart Abandonment
Declined customers rarely completed purchase, representing EGP 120M in lost monthly GMV.
Young Demographics
65% of target customers under 30 with limited formal credit history.
Speed vs. Accuracy
Manual review improved accuracy but broke the instant approval experience.
The Credit Bureau Limitation
Traditional credit bureaus in MENA have limited coverage. In Egypt, only ~25% of adults have formal credit history. This created a catch-22: customers needed credit to build history, but couldn't get credit without history.
25%
Credit Bureau Coverage in Egypt
45%
Credit Bureau Coverage in Saudi Arabia
52%
Credit Bureau Coverage in UAE
Cashflow-Based Credit Scoring
Replacing bureau dependency with real-time bank transaction analysis.
Instant Bank Account Access
At checkout, customers who lack bureau history are prompted to connect their bank account via Sahl Connect. The entire flow takes less than 30 seconds and doesn't interrupt the purchase experience.
Checkout Integration:
AI-Powered Affordability Analysis
The Sahl Score replaces traditional credit scores for thin-file customers, analyzing real transaction patterns to predict repayment behavior.
Signals Analyzed:
Before: Bureau-Only Model
42% approval rate at checkout
4.8% default rate
No visibility into thin-file customers
24-hour manual review for edge cases
EGP 85M monthly GMV
After: Sahl Hybrid Model
68% approval rate (+62%)
2.9% default rate (-40%)
Full visibility into all applicants
Decisions in under 90 seconds for everyone
EGP 240M monthly GMV (+182%)
The Financial Impact
How approving more customers while reducing defaults transformed unit economics.
12-Month ROI Breakdown
Total Investment
Value Generated
Return on Investment
5.7x
in first year alone
"We went from rejecting our best potential customers to welcoming them. The data doesn't lie—people with consistent salary deposits and responsible spending habits pay back, even without formal credit history."
Mohamed Hassan
Chief Risk Officer, Takseet
8 weeks
Implementation Time
45 days
Time to Positive ROI
340K+
New Customers Approved
<2 sec
Average Decision Time
Approve the customers a bureau cannot score.
See how Sahl can help you serve thin-file customers profitably.