Singapore keeps two separate credit bureaux. Most borrowers have only ever seen one of them — and the one they haven’t seen is the one that governs a licensed moneylender application.
What is the Moneylenders Credit Bureau (MLCB), and how is it different from Credit Bureau Singapore (CBS)?
The Moneylenders Credit Bureau (MLCB) is the credit bureau used by licensed moneylenders in Singapore. When you apply for a loan from a licensed moneylender, your application is checked against the MLCB, and your borrowing limit under the Moneylenders Act is checked there too. Credit Bureau Singapore (CBS) is the bank-side bureau. They are separate bodies holding separate records, which is why the same borrower can look fine in one file and be capped by the other.
Licensed moneylenders in Singapore are regulated by the Registry of Moneylenders, which sits within the Ministry of Law. The Registry sets the rules on interest, fees and borrowing limits, and publishes the list of licensed moneylenders. The MLCB is not the regulator. It is the bureau through which the statutory limits are checked when you apply.
Who operates the MLCB, and is it a government agency?
The MLCB does not license, approve or supervise moneylenders. That is the Registry of Moneylenders’ role at the Ministry of Law. Appearing in the MLCB is a record held by a credit bureau, not a government action or a government decision about you. The bureau publishes its own description of its role and ownership at mlcb.com.sg.
Does the MLCB give me a credit score, or only a record of my loans?
The two bureaux do not present information the same way, and each publishes its own explanation — the MLCB at mlcb.com.sg, CBS at cbs.com.sg. What matters for a licensed moneylender application is this: the amount you may borrow is fixed by the caps in the Moneylenders Act and checked through the MLCB. A bank-side credit score does not set that ceiling, and a good one cannot raise it.
Which of my loans show up in which file?
Loans from licensed moneylenders are checked against, and recorded in, the MLCB. Credit Bureau Singapore is the bank-side bureau, covering bank borrowing. The practical consequence is that neither file on its own shows everything you owe — a lender looking at one bureau is not seeing your full position, and neither are you.
Who can see my MLCB record, and can banks see it?
Access to MLCB records is set by the bureau’s own rules and by the Moneylenders Act; the current position is published at mlcb.com.sg. What the law does fix is how a licensed moneylender must handle your information and your paperwork.
A licensed moneylender in Singapore may not retain your NRIC or other identity documents, and may not ask for your SingPass login credentials. It must explain the contract terms in a language you understand, give you a copy of the Note of Contract, issue receipts for your repayments, and provide statements of account at least every January and July. If a lender asks for your SingPass details or keeps your NRIC, that is a breach, and you can report it to the Registry of Moneylenders on 1800-2255-529.
Can a licensed moneylender check my MLCB record before I apply?
The MLCB sets the conditions under which a licensed moneylender may search a record, and publishes them at mlcb.com.sg. Regardless of when a search happens, a licensed moneylender may not ask for your SingPass credentials in order to obtain your information.
Why was I rejected by a licensed moneylender when my CBS credit score is good?
Because a CBS credit score is not what caps a licensed moneylender loan. Your total unsecured borrowing from licensed moneylenders is limited by your income under the Moneylenders Act, and that limit applies across all licensed moneylenders combined — not per lender. If your existing loans already fill that aggregate cap, a clean bank-side record cannot create room that the law does not allow.
As of August 2026, the aggregate unsecured borrowing caps are:
| Borrower | Annual income | Maximum unsecured borrowing, all licensed moneylenders combined |
| Singapore Citizen or PR | Below S$20,000 | S$3,000 |
| Singapore Citizen or PR | S$20,000 and above | 6 × monthly income |
| Foreigner residing in Singapore | Below S$10,000 | S$500 |
| Foreigner residing in Singapore | S$10,000 to below S$20,000 | S$3,000 |
| Foreigner residing in Singapore | S$20,000 and above | 6 × monthly income |
| Any borrower | Any income | No cap on secured loans |
Separately, and also as of August 2026, interest is capped at 4% per month, the administrative fee at 10% of the principal, and the total of interest, late interest, administrative fee and late fees can never exceed the loan principal.
A worked example
Take a Singapore Citizen earning S$3,500 a month, so S$42,000 a year. That is above S$20,000, so the cap is six times monthly income: S$21,000 across all licensed moneylenders combined.
He already holds two loans from two different licensed moneylenders — S$14,000 outstanding with one, S$5,000 with the other. That is S$19,000 of the S$21,000 cap used. A third lender can therefore consider no more than S$2,000, however strong his bank-side record looks, and approval remains subject to that lender’s own assessment of his income, existing loans and repayment ability.
This is also why the reverse happens. A borrower with a damaged bank-side record may still have cap headroom, while a borrower with an excellent one may have none.
How do I check my own MLCB credit report, and what does it cost?
You obtain your MLCB credit report from the MLCB, which publishes the current request methods and report fee at mlcb.com.sg. Reports can also be collected in person at the Moneylenders Credit Bureau office at 2 Shenton Way, #20-02 SGX Centre 1, Singapore 068804, where a transactional fee of S$0.50 applies. Credit Bureau Singapore publishes its own report fee separately at cbs.com.sg, so checking both files means two requests and two fees.
Why can’t I open the MLCB website from overseas?
Access to mlcb.com.sg is restricted to Singapore internet protocol (IP) addresses, so the site will refuse a connection made from abroad. If you are overseas, the in-person collection route at 2 Shenton Way remains available, and the MLCB publishes its current arrangements for identification requirements and collection by another person.
How long does information stay on my MLCB file, and why does a settled loan still show?
The MLCB sets and publishes its retention period, and the interval at which lender records are updated, at mlcb.com.sg. Both matter, because a loan you have already settled can remain visible while the record is retained — settling a loan and clearing it from a file are two different things, on two different timelines.
Your own paperwork is the faster check. A licensed moneylender must provide statements of account at least every January and July, and must issue receipts for repayments, so keep both. If your record and your receipts disagree, the receipts are what you take to a dispute.
Can I stop new loans appearing? The MLCB self-exclusion scheme
Yes. The MLCB operates a voluntary self-exclusion scheme that blocks new unsecured loans from licensed moneylenders, with the exception of debt consolidation loans. As of August 2026, the minimum period is one or two years for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents, and two years for foreigners. The MLCB publishes the current application process and the conditions for lifting it.
After fully repaying my moneylender loans, how long should I wait before applying for an HDB loan or bank mortgage?
Neither the Moneylenders Act nor the MLCB imposes a waiting period before you apply for a home loan. Every home loan decision rests with HDB or the bank concerned, assessed against their own criteria, and nothing about repaying a licensed moneylender loan produces a guaranteed outcome with either.
What you can do is arrive prepared. Request your own MLCB report and your own CBS report so you know what each says before a lender does. Keep your receipts and your January and July statements of account. Check that every settled loan is reflected as settled, and raise anything inaccurate with the bureau that holds it rather than discovering it mid-application.
Frequently asked questions
Does taking a loan from a licensed moneylender lower my credit score?
The loan is recorded in the MLCB, which is separate from Credit Bureau Singapore. How each bureau reflects the loan is published by that bureau — the MLCB at mlcb.com.sg, CBS at cbs.com.sg. Your borrowing ceiling with licensed moneylenders is set by income under the Moneylenders Act, not by a score.
Does a late payment to a licensed moneylender show up on my CBS report?
The MLCB and CBS hold separate records, and each publishes what it captures. What the law fixes is the cost of paying late: as of August 2026, late interest is capped at 4% per month on the amount repaid late, and the late fee at S$60 for each month of late repayment.
Does applying to several licensed moneylenders in the same week hurt my record?
Every application is checked against the MLCB, and your unsecured cap applies across all licensed moneylenders combined — so multiple applications cannot raise the total you may borrow. How searches themselves are recorded is published by the MLCB.
Does my MLCB report show how much I still owe, or only that I have a loan?
The MLCB publishes the fields its report contains at mlcb.com.sg. Request your own report to see exactly what a lender sees.
There’s a loan on my MLCB report that isn’t mine — how do I dispute it?
The MLCB publishes its dispute procedure. Gather your receipts and your statements of account first, since a licensed moneylender must issue both. If you believe a lender has acted improperly, the Registry of Moneylenders can be reached on 1800-2255-529.
If I’ve never borrowed from a licensed moneylender, do I still have an MLCB file?
The MLCB publishes what it holds and for whom. If you want certainty about your own position, request your report rather than assuming either way.
Can an employer see my MLCB record?
Access to MLCB records is governed by the bureau’s rules and the Moneylenders Act, published at mlcb.com.sg. Note separately that a licensed moneylender may not retain your NRIC or request your SingPass credentials.
Borrow only what you can repay. A loan from a licensed moneylender is a debt with a fixed repayment schedule, and the statutory caps on interest and fees limit what it can cost — they do not make it affordable in your circumstances. Check your income against the caps above, and if debt is already difficult, free help is available from Credit Counselling Singapore and other community organisations before you borrow again.
You can verify any moneylender’s licence, including ours, on the Ministry of Law’s list of licensed moneylenders: https://rom.mlaw.gov.sg/information-for-borrowers/list-of-licensed-moneylenders-in-singapore/
TRADITION CREDIT CO PTE. LTD. · Licence No. 132/2025 · Licensed by the Ministry of Law’s Registrar of Moneylenders. We are a licensed moneylender, not a bank. If you would like to discuss a personal loan, you can contact us during business hours. Approval is subject to our assessment of your income, existing loans and repayment ability.
Sources
- Registry of Moneylenders, Ministry of Law — rom.mlaw.gov.sg, including the Guide to Borrowing from Licensed Moneylenders and the list of licensed moneylenders
- Moneylenders Act and Moneylenders Rules — Singapore Statutes Online, sso.agc.gov.sg
- Moneylenders Credit Bureau — mlcb.com.sg
- Credit Bureau Singapore — cbs.com.sg
- MoneySense — moneysense.gov.sg