The news: Cash App will charge companies to access its credit score data, per Payments Dive.

Cash App is in discussion with several parties, including “lenders offering the types of credit access our customers need and are asking for, as well as established industry partners who can help get the score to a wider audience,” a Block spokesperson told Payments Dive. 

These firms will pay a fee for credit score access and will officially start working with the platform for scoring later this year.

How we got here: Block has branded itself as an advocate for alternative underwriting, citing how underserved communities are often unfairly boxed out of lines of credit. It claims its proprietary solution offers a more holistic approach to a consumer’s financial well-being than the “black box” of a FICO credit score.

Block’s dip into alternative credit scoring has coincided with a spike in short-term lending products across Cash App Borrow, Afterpay, and Square Loans. For Cash App specifically, the lending push has been lucrative: Cash App Borrow originations spiked 134% YoY in Q3 2025, and the app earned a 30% return on invested capital for short-term lending, per comments from Block business lead Owen Jennings on a client call.

Why this matters: Cash App Borrow’s profitability signals to other fintechs the profitability in lending to subprime consumers on a case-by-case basis.

Cash App’s scoring could help fintech peers assess lending risk while serving subprime or financially fragile populations who need credit.

Implications for payment providers: Subprime populations’ need for lending products demands a new way of assessing short-term and long-term risk. Methods like Cash App’s alternate credit model may help provide needed cash flow assistance to underserved populations that can pay back small sums under certain conditions.