How to compare without inferred terms

Before comparing: build an evidence record

Start with the lending entity, its category and written terms. An app name, an advertisement or a directory entry alone does not establish the price, your ability to repay or whether a loan fits your needs.

This workflow helps you ask questions and keep the answers; it does not select a lender for you. If repayments would displace essential spending, passing an identity check does not make the borrowing affordable.

1. Match the legal entity to the right directory

Ask for the full legal name, product name and the type of institution supplying the credit. CBK’s supervision page separates bank, microfinance-bank and digital-credit directories. One list is not a certificate covering every type of service. CBK directories by institution type.

For a digital credit provider, match the exact name against a dated official directory. The version read for this guide is dated 29 September 2026. Record the directory date, listed entity and page reference. If a name is missing, first establish the institution category and applicable register; absence from this one list is not enough to label it unlawful. Dated CBK directory, PDF.

2. Get the cost in writing before deciding

Keep a copy of the terms for the product you are considering. Regulation 27 in CBK’s 2022 digital-credit document lists pre-loan terms covering the amount, interest, charges, payment dates, total cost and complaint channels. This is the scope of that instrument; do not assume every lender category has identical rules. CBK rules, regulation 27, PDF.

We use that document as a checklist, not confirmation that it is the only framework currently applicable. CBK’s legislation page also links a draft framework for non-deposit-taking credit providers; its 2026 impact statement describes proposed changes. A draft or impact assessment alone is not evidence that rules have commenced. Check the framework applicable to the entity and product you are considering. CBK legislation and guidelines; 2026 impact statement, PDF.

• Write down what you would actually receive after any deductions, not just the advertised amount.
• List each repayment and its due date, plus any mandatory amount paid separately. Keep normal charges separate from amounts triggered only by lateness or a contract change.
• Ask how interest is calculated, which fees apply and what the total payable is. Do not turn an unexplained percentage into an invented annual rate.
• Mark a missing field unknown. Compare documents with matching currency, net amount received and repayment timing; if these differ, explain the difference rather than naming a winner.

Fictional practice example, not an offer: File A gives a repayment schedule but does not say whether a fee is deducted before disbursement. File B shows that deduction but uses different payment dates. A smaller repayment alone cannot establish that A is cheaper. Ask for the net amount and fee breakdown; without the answers, the comparison remains incomplete.

3. Keep a record that makes a problem traceable

Keep the entity and product names, document URL and date, the amount requested or charged, event dates and the replies together. Ask for a complaint reference. Retain copies without publishing your identity document, PIN, password or one-time code in a public post.

Adaptable enquiry: “I am checking [product] supplied by [legal entity]. Please provide the terms, net amount received, every charge, payment schedule and total payable. The unclear item is [describe it]. My reference is [if available].” Send only the necessary details through the institution’s official channel.

4. Choose help according to the issue

• Payment, account or contract issue: use the institution’s complaint channel with the relevant records. For a bank customer dissatisfied with the bank’s response, CBK’s note explains escalation with that response and prior correspondence. It is a bank-specific route, not a promised outcome for every credit provider. CBK bank-complaints note, PDF.
• Misleading claims or unfair commercial conduct: read CAK’s consumer-protection scope and complaint guidance. Identify the exact statement or charge and its evidence; do not assume CAK determines every financial dispute. CAK scope; CAK complaint guidance.
• Use of personal information or inaccurate personal data: start with ODPC’s data-subject rights and complaint instructions. Separate the data issue from a disagreement over the debt amount. Identify the information, use or error at issue and retain supporting documents. ODPC data-subject rights; ODPC complaint instructions.

Choosing a help route does not guarantee compensation, debt cancellation or a payment pause. If you need advice about your own obligations, seek help appropriate to your circumstances rather than relying on this checklist alone.

Content updated 24 October 2026: a credit-enquiry checklist and help routes. Source links were read that day; the next source check is due by 23 November 2026. This does not verify any lender’s current offer.

Contributor profile: Rostislav Sikora.