Business credit. Your company’s creditworthiness.

In brief

Business credit is your company’s credit history with the US business credit bureaus Dun & Bradstreet, Experian and Equifax. The basis is the free D-U-N-S Number; what is assessed above all is on-time payment to suppliers and issuers — with Dun & Bradstreet’s PAYDEX on a scale of 1 to 100, where 80 and above counts as low risk. With young companies, card issuers nevertheless almost always require the owner’s personal guarantee; the company’s own history grows over years.

Two files, two worlds

For you personally, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion keep a file that a FICO Score summarises. For your company there is a second, separate world: business credit bureaus that record payment behaviour, core data, public registers and owners. Card issuers, suppliers, landlords and insurers make enquiries there. The file on your company only becomes meaningful once business partners report payments to it. Until then it is thin — and to an institution a thin file is hardly better than none.

The three business credit bureaus

According to the bureaus’ own information, as of September 2026. The providers change scales and models from time to time.

• Identifier · Dun & Bradstreet: D-U-N-S Number, nine digits, per location · Experian: the company’s own identifier · Equifax: the company’s own identifier
• Well-known score · Dun & Bradstreet: PAYDEX, 1 to 100 · Experian: Intelliscore Plus, 1 to 100 · Equifax: own scores
• What it measures · Dun & Bradstreet: how promptly the company pays its suppliers · Experian: the risk of serious late payment · Equifax: payment behaviour and risk of default
• Entry · Dun & Bradstreet: created and maintained free of charge · Experian: arises from reports and registers · Equifax: arises from reports and registers

What the PAYDEX means

Bands according to Dun & Bradstreet. A score only arises once enough payment experiences have been reported.

• PAYDEX: 80 – 100 · Risk of late payment: low · What it means: the company pays on time or early
• PAYDEX: 50 – 79 · Risk of late payment: medium · What it means: payments are sometimes late
• PAYDEX: 0 – 49 · Risk of late payment: high · What it means: payments are regularly late

Five stages to a history of your own

• 1. Standardise core data: Name, address, phone number, EIN and website are identical everywhere — in the state register, with the IRS, with the institution, with suppliers and with the credit bureaus.
• 2. Obtain a D-U-N-S Number: Free of charge from Dun & Bradstreet. Check there, too, whether your company is already listed, and correct any differing details.
• 3. Business account and first card: The account shows revenue, the first business credit card the first on-time payments. Each issuer decides for itself whether it reports to business credit bureaus.
• 4. Suppliers that report: Genuine business relationships with payment terms — for office supplies, software, logistics or goods — whose payment experiences reach the credit bureaus.
• 5. Time and figures: Pay on time, build revenue and reserves, keep the accounts in good order. For a later bank loan, what counts in the end is key figures, not scores alone.

What to beware of

• Caution — Supplier accounts with no real business behind them: Some providers sell accounts with payment terms that are meant only to serve the score. Anything that does not reflect genuine business will not hold up under an institution’s review.
• Caution — Promised limits: Anyone who promises your company a credit limit of a particular amount is promising something only an institution can decide.
• Caution — Cards instead of loans: In 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) permanently banned a provider from offering financing: it had promised loans and, for high fees, applied for credit cards.

How FIAON Global builds your company’s history

A company’s history cannot be bought — but it can be planned. FIAON Global lays the foundation at formation: identical core data in all registers and applications, EIN, US address and phone number, an account that fits the business. We then plan the sequence of issuers, prepare every application and review with you, month by month, what the credit bureaus know about your company. With Global Capital, we take this route through to the key-figures file for a later bank loan — in ongoing coordination with our partner lawyer and partner tax adviser. The capital is not tied to the US: your company can transfer funds to Europe or invest them in Europe — within the terms of the institution concerned. Our partner tax adviser clarifies with you in advance how transfers and investments are treated for tax purposes.

The whole route in one package

Core data, a card ladder across several issuers and the documents for a bank loan — Global Capital.

What you need to know

• Credit bureaus set the scores, institutions set the limits. Nobody can promise a particular value.
• US business credit cards generally require a personal guarantee from the owner. The institution alone decides on the account, the card and the limit.
• With young companies, the company’s own history does not replace the personal guarantee.

Frequently asked questions

What is a D-U-N-S Number?

Dun & Bradstreet’s nine-digit identifier for businesses, assigned per location. It is free of charge and the basis for the PAYDEX and for your company’s file with Dun & Bradstreet.

What is a good PAYDEX score?

At 80 or above, the risk of late payment is considered low; from 50 to 79, medium; below 50, high.

How long does it take to build business credit?

A PAYDEX only exists once enough payment experiences have been reported — usually after a few months with several business partners. A history that holds up without a personal guarantee takes years.

Do I need business credit for a business credit card?

With young companies, issuers mainly check the owner’s personal history and require a personal guarantee from the owner. The company’s own history gains weight over the years.