Occubuy Partners with Equifax to Bring Open Score to Australian Renters

Occubuy joins forces with Equifax Australia to give Australian renters a clearer pathway to home ownership

Occubuy becomes one of the first partners to use Equifax Open Score, powered by Mastercard’s secure open finance infrastructure, incorporating it into Occubuy’s home-readiness platform.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 3 September 2026 – Occubuy, the first rewards and home-readiness platform that lets renters earn points for good financial habits, today announced a strategic partnership with Equifax Australia to help millions of Australian renters build a clearer, measurable pathway to home ownership.

The announcement comes at a critical time for Australian housing affordability, as more Australians rent for longer and pay thousands of dollars each month, frequently matching or exceeding the cost of a mortgage repayment. Despite this ongoing commitment, traditional credit evaluation does not capture rental repayment consistency, leaving responsible renters with "thin" credit files or making it difficult for lenders to assess their true borrowing capacity under standard criteria.

"Our mission is to accelerate the home ownership journey," said Dr Amy Shi-Nash, Co-Founder and CEO at Occubuy. "Buying a home is not a one-off approval; it is a journey that starts years before the transaction. We want to help our members see that reaching their goal is a real possibility."

Under the partnership, Occubuy becomes one of the first partners to use Equifax Open Score. Developed by Equifax and powered by Mastercard’s secure open finance infrastructure, Open Score leverages Consumer Data Right (CDR) transaction data to provide a view of an individual’s overall financial health. Occubuy has incorporated Open Score into its overall readiness view, where it works alongside the insight the platform builds from members’ consented data, supporting the whole journey rather than a single moment of approval.

Through Occubuy’s platform, members are rewarded for positive money habits, such as on-time rent payments and consistent saving, with points that carry real redemption value toward a first home purchase. Occubuy currently supports a growing member base of more than 20,000 members building toward home ownership across an ecosystem of over 30 housing and finance partners.

"Instead of feeling stuck in the renting cycle, consumers can now actively build toward buying a home," said Dr Shi-Nash. "By pairing our consumer rewards and readiness platform with Equifax Australia’s Open Score and Mastercard’s open finance platform, we’re turning daily money discipline into real progress toward a deposit and giving renters a fairer, clearer path to owning their own home."

"For millions of Australians, paying rent on time is one of the largest financial commitments they make each month. Yet under traditional credit assessment models, that financial reliability is invisible when applying for a mortgage," said Melanie Cochrane, CEO and Group Managing Director of Equifax A/NZ. "By moving beyond the existing credit assessment criteria and leveraging consented open banking data, Open Score aims to help turn everyday financial discipline into a tangible asset. Partnering with Occubuy puts this insight directly into the hands of renters - helping to create a fairer, more inclusive path to home ownership while giving lenders the confidence to support deserving, credit-ready buyers."

Equifax and Occubuy are officially inviting lenders, mortgage brokers, insurers, and proptech platforms to join the pilot program, giving industry partners early access to qualified applicants, backed by comprehensive financial insights.

The Occubuy app is available now on the App Store and Google Play.

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ABOUT OCCUBUY

Occubuy is the first rewards and home-readiness platform that lets renters earn points for good financial habits, at no cost to them. Members earn Occubuy Points for verified behaviours, such as paying rent on time and saving regularly. These points turn everyday money habits into measurable progress toward home ownership. The platform uses open banking data shared with consent under Australia’s Consumer Data Right. Occubuy partners with an ecosystem of 30+ housing and financial brands, giving property, financial and consumer companies a new way to reward the customers they want to reach. Over 20K of members are now building financial readiness with the Occubuy app, available now on the App Store and Google Play. Occubuy is headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Visit occubuy.com.au

ABOUT EQUIFAX OPEN SCORE

Open Score utilises secure consumer-consented bank transaction data obtained through the Consumer Data Right (CDR). This data, which includes income, expenses and spending patterns, is analysed in real-time to assess a consumer’s financial health. The result is a score between 0-10, presented alongside other key contributing factors to help consumers understand what influences their score.

Occubuy Media Contact

Occubuy | Sarah | admin@occubuy.com.au