New motor finance lender adopts conversational AI affordability technology at origination, setting a new standard for responsible lending
Finclusion, a new entrant to the UK motor finance market, has partnered with Inicio AI, creators of a virtual agent, Budgie, trained to help customers complete a detailed affordability assessment in a conversational manner at the very start of the customer journey.
This marks an important step forward for the motor finance sector, where affordability assessments have traditionally relied heavily on indirect indicators such as credit data and scorecards.
By introducing a conversational AI affordability assessment at origination, Finclusion is establishing a model designed to deliver greater transparency, deeper financial understanding, and improved customer outcomes from the outset.
Inicio AI technology enables lenders to engage customers in structured, explainable conversations about their financial circumstances, providing a clearer and more complete picture of affordability to support responsible lending decisions.
While Inicio’s platform has been widely adopted to support customers experiencing financial difficulty, Finclusion’s implementation represents a significant evolution, using conversational affordability proactively, before lending decisions are made.
Chris Bosworth – CEO of Finclusion, said:
“As a new lender, we have the opportunity to design our customer journey around responsible lending from day one. Partnering with Inicio AI allows us to embed affordability at the very start of that journey, ensuring we build a clear and transparent understanding of each customer’s financial position. This is fundamental to our commitment to delivering sustainable outcomes and building long-term trust with our customers.”
The partnership comes at a pivotal time for the motor finance sector, as lenders face increasing focus on affordability assessments and customer outcomes.
By embedding affordability assessments into its origination process, Finclusion is helping to establish a forward-looking approach aligned with evolving regulatory expectations and best practice.
Rachel Curtis, CEO of Inicio, said:
“We are proud to support Finclusion in embedding affordability at the earliest stage of the lending journey. This represents an important shift in how affordability is approached within motor finance, moving from a reactive exercise to a proactive foundation. Finclusion’s approach demonstrates how lenders can use technology to strengthen responsible lending and deliver better outcomes for customers.”
This partnership reflects a shared commitment between Finclusion and Inicio to improve how affordability is understood and assessed across the lending lifecycle.
As the motor finance sector continues to evolve, initiatives such as this demonstrate how lenders can combine technology and intent to establish new standards in responsible lending.
Rupert Lyle, Fund Principal of West Midlands Co-Investment Fund from Future Planet Capital Regional, said:
“Future Planet Capital Regional is delighted to support the combination of Finclusion and Inicio. It brings together two businesses focused on using technology to better understand customers and embed responsible lending from the very start of the journey. As scrutiny around affordability continues to grow, approaches like this — combining transparency, technology and intent — have the potential to set a higher standard for the sector.”
