Glossary

Key terms for understanding credit bureaus, annual percentage rates, and payment methods across Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Romania, Chile, and Argentina.

• ASNEF

  Spain's best-known private delinquent-debtor file, operated by Equifax.

• TAE (Tasa Anual Equivalente)

  Spain's standardized annual percentage rate for consumer credit.

• CIRBE

  The Banco de España's central register of all bank credit exposure, distinct from ASNEF.

• Sobreendeudamiento (Over-Indebtedness)

  The Spanish-language term for over-indebtedness — owing more across multiple loans than one can realistically repay.

• RETA

  Spain's special Social Security regime for the self-employed ("autónomos").

• Buró de Crédito

  Mexico's primary private credit-reporting bureau.

• CAT (Costo Anual Total)

  Mexico's standardized annualized cost indicator for consumer credit.

• CONDUSEF

  Mexico's financial-consumer protection agency.

• DataCrédito

  Colombia's best-known private credit-reporting bureau, operated by Experian.

• Tasa EA (Efectiva Anual)

  Colombia's standardized effective annual interest rate, capped by a legal usury ceiling.

• Nequi

  A leading Colombian mobile wallet used to disburse fintech microloans.

• INFOCORP

  Peru's leading credit-reporting bureau, operated by Equifax Peru.

• TCEA (Tasa de Costo Efectivo Anual)

  Peru's standardized total annualized cost rate for consumer credit.

• Yape

  BCP's mobile wallet, widely used to disburse Peruvian fintech microloans.

• Biroul de Credit

  Romania's main credit-reporting bureau, jointly owned by Romanian banks.

• DAE (Dobânda Anuală Efectivă)

  Romania's standardized annual percentage rate under EU consumer-credit law.

• DICOM

  Chile's best-known credit-reporting registry, operated commercially by Equifax Chile.

• CAE (Costo Anual Equivalente)

  Chile's standardized annualized cost measure for consumer credit.

• Veraz

  Argentina's best-known credit-reporting registry, operated commercially by Equifax Argentina.

• CFT (Costo Financiero Total)

  Argentina's standardized total annualized cost rate, shaped by the country's inflation environment.