From the IMF blog post[1]:

> Even a well-paid expatriate moving to the United States can be caught in the conundrum of not getting a credit card for lack of credit record, and not having a credit record for lack of credit cards.

> Fintech resolves the dilemma by tapping various nonfinancial data: the type of browser and hardware used to access the internet, the history of online searches and purchases.

I enjoy the framing of this; give us the keys to the kingdom and we'll give you even more credit (to get yourself further into debt!)

Of course it won't stop there, better pay down that mortgage before you search or buy the "wrong" thing if you want to keep your house (they won't take it outright, just raise the interest rate on your loan because you now represent a higher risk based on "new information")

[1] https://blogs.imf.org/2020/12/17/what-is-really-new-in-finte...