Experian’s Ascend Analytical Sandbox™ Named Best Overall Analytics Platform in Fintech Competition

by Brittany Peterson 3 min read April 3, 2019

Fintech Breakthrough AwardAt Experian, we know that fintechs don’t just need big data – they need the best data, and they need that data as quickly as possible.

Successfully delivering on this need is one of the many reasons we’re proud to be selected as a Fintech Breakthrough Award winner for the second consecutive year.

The Fintech Breakthrough Awards is the premier awards program founded to recognize fintech innovators, leaders and visionaries from around the world. The 2019 Fintech Breakthrough Award program received more than 3,500 nominations from across the globe.

Last year, Experian took home the Consumer Lending Innovation Award for our Text for Credit Solution – a powerful tool for providing consumers the convenience to securely bypass the standard-length ‘pen & paper’ or keystroke intensive credit application process while helping lenders make smart, fraud protected lending decisions.

This year, we are excited to announce that Experian’s Ascend Analytical Sandbox™ has been selected as winner in the Best Overall Analytics Platform category.

“We are thrilled to be recognized by Fintech Breakthrough for the second year in a row and that our Ascend Analytical Sandbox has been recognized as the best overall analytics platform in 2019,” said Vijay Mehta, Experian’s Chief Innovation Officer.

“We understand the challenges fintechs face – to stay ahead of constantly changing market conditions and customer demands,” said Mehta. “The Ascend Analytical Sandbox is the answer, giving financial institutions the fastest access to the freshest data so they can leverage the most out of their analytics and engage their customers with the best decisions.”

Debuting in 2018, Experian’s Ascend Analytical Sandbox is a first-to-market analytics environment that moved companies beyond just business intelligence and data visualization to data insights and answers they could actually use.

In addition to thousands of scores and attributes, the Ascend Analytical Sandbox offers users industry-standard analytics and data visualization tools like SAS, R Studio, Python, Hue and Tableau, all backed by a network of industry and support experts to drive the most answers and value out of their data and analytics. Less than a year post-launch, the groundbreaking solution is being used by 15 of the top financial institutions globally.

Early Access Program

Experian is committed to developing leading-edge solutions to power fintechs, knowing they are some of the best innovators in the marketplace. Fintechs are changing the industry, empowering consumers and driving customer engagement like never before.

To connect fintechs with the competitive edge,  Experian launched an Early Access Program, which fast-tracks onboarding to an exclusive market test of the Ascend Analytical Sandbox.

In less than 10 days, our fintech partners can leverage the power, breadth and depth of Experian’s data, attributes and models.

With endless use cases and easy delivery of portfolio monitoring, benchmarking, wallet share analysis, model development, and market entry, the Ascend Analytical Sandbox gives fintechs the fastest access to the freshest data so they can leverage the most out of their analytics and engage their customers with the best decisions.

A Game Changer for the Industry
In a recent IDC customer spotlight, OneMain Financial reported the Ascend Analytical Sandbox had helped them reduce their archive process from a few months to 1-2 weeks, a nearly 75% time savings.

“Imagine having the ability to have access to every single tradeline for every single person in the United States for the past almost 20 years and have your own tradelines be identified among them. Imagine what that can do,” said OneMain Financial’s senior managing director and head of model development.

For more information, download the Ascend Analytical Sandbox™ Early Access Program product sheet here, or visit Experian.com/Sandbox.

Related Posts

Used EV Growth Signals a New Phase of Consumer Purchasing Behavior

The electric vehicle (EV) revolution isn’t slowing down, it’s changing lanes. While recent conversations have seemingly focused on softening demand for new EVs, the used segment has been gaining momentum. According to Experian Automotive’s 2025 EV Year in Review Report, new retail individual EV registrations fell 35.9% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the used retail individual EV registrations grew 25.4% from a year ago. As affordability and growing model availability reshapes consumer behavior, buyers are increasingly turning to pre-owned EVs, which has shown an interesting market divergence that is redefining how consumers are adopting this segment and what it can mean for automakers, dealers, and the overall industry. Key players behind rising used EV demand Notably, Tesla accounted for over half (60.5%) of used retail individual EV registrations in 2025, followed by Chevrolet at 6.4% and Nissan (5.5%). Diving a bit deeper, Tesla made up the top three models of the used individual registrations last year, with the Model 3 coming in at 27.2%, Model Y at 21.7%, and Model S (6.6%). The Chevrolet Bolt EV followed at 4.8% and the Nissan Leaf was at 4%. Tesla’s position as the leading make in the used EV market is a natural extension of its long-standing dominance in new EV sales. The brand’s leadership over the years created a large fleet of vehicles that are now entering the pre-owned market. What the used EV boom means for automotive professionals The growing demand for used EVs can present more opportunities for automotive professionals. Dealers that provide a healthy supply of pre-owned EVs can increase accessibility and play a role in adoption for consumers who are actively looking to purchase, while marketers can emphasize value and ownership benefits. As the market continues to evolve, automotive professionals who understand and respond to these changing dynamics will be best positioned to capitalize on the expanding pool of used EV shoppers. To learn more about EV insights, visit Experian Automotive’s EV Resource Center.

Published: June 30, 2026 by Kirsten Von Busch
How Terrace Finance Uses NeuroID to Respond to Fraud Faster and Smarter

Learn how Terrace Finance used NeuroID behavioral analytics to detect fraud faster, respond to attacks, and strengthen risk management.

Published: June 29, 2026 by Scarlet.Nickel@experian.com
Ask the Expert: A Closer Look at Modern Lending with Jeff Hops and Erin Haselkorn

In this first episode of Ask the Expert, Experian's Jeff Hops, Senior Director of Data Platform and Product, and Erin Haselkorn, Senior Director of Analyst Relations, explore how broader data and new signals can help lenders better understand today’s consumers, while maintaining responsible decisioning. Lending is changing  Interest rates, regulation, embedded finance and AI are reshaping the lending landscape. Consumer behavior is evolving just as quickly. But the core job hasn’t changed. Lenders are still making decisions about people they don’t fully know, and that makes data more important than ever. "There are periods where nothing changes, and periods where it seems like everything changes. We’re in the latter … but the core premise hasn’t changed. You’re still trying to lend to somebody you don’t know."Jeff Hops, Senior Director of Data Platform and Product To make those decisions with confidence, lenders need a strong foundation of identity, history and reliable signals. In a period of rapid change, the quality and completeness of that data become even more critical. A more complex view of today’s consumer What has changed is the consumer. Traditional credit data is foundational but can be further enhanced with visibility on how people earn, manage and move money. Income may come from multiple sources, and financial activity often spans bank accounts, applications (apps) and digital channels. Cash flow data, for example, can provide a clearer view of what’s actually coming into a consumer’s account, beyond what traditional records may show.These additional signals can help lenders better understand: Income variability across multiple earning sources Current financial behavior through cash flow activity Digital and identity-linked activity across channels These signals don’t replace traditional data; they expand it. The result is a more complete and current view of the consumer. From exploration to real-world application The conversation around broader data signals has moved beyond theory. Lenders are no longer just asking whether these signals are useful. They’re asking where, how and under what governance they can be applied across the lending lifecycle. Lenders are actively researching, testing and implementing new data sources across the lending lifecycle. What was once experimental is now operational. Institutions are progressing through a clear path: Research Understanding available signals and use cases Testing Evaluating performance in controlled environments Implementation Applying insights in production Today, alternative data is being used in areas like analytics, channel scoring and decisioning, often within governed environments that allow for safe testing and validation. AI may accelerate this shift by helping institutions identify patterns at scale, but its value depends on the strength of the underlying data: quality, governance, context and clear business use cases. More signal, more responsibility As data availability expands, lenders have access to more granular insights than ever before. That creates opportunity, but also responsibility. The institutions that lead won’t be the ones that use the most data. They’ll be the ones that know which signals to use, how to validate them and how to apply them in ways that are fair, explainable and aligned to consumer outcomes. “Institutions can unlock more granular and powerful decisions, but they have to do it responsibly.”Erin Haselkorn, Senior Director, Analyst Relations The future of lending will be shaped not just by how much data is available, but by how thoughtfully it’s applied. Keeping the consumer at the center of decisioning is essential to building trust and long-term success. Explore alternative data with us A more complete understanding of today’s consumers starts with better data. We help lenders responsibly incorporate broader data signals and advanced analytics into decisioning strategies, enhancing visibility into today’s consumers while strengthening risk assessment and expanding access to credit. Let’s work together to build more confident, more responsible lending decisions. Learn more Contact us About our experts Jeff Hops Senior Director, Data Platform and Product, Experian Jeff Hops is a Senior Director in Experian’s Financial Services and Data business with over eight years of experience driving innovation in credit and data solutions. He has led product development for Experian’s Credit Report and played a key role in launching Ascend Identity Platform™, a leading identity resolution platform. Erin Haselkorn Senior Director, Analyst Relations, Experian Erin Haselkorn is responsible for analyst relations for Experian. She has developed an understanding of key marketing trends across a broad range of verticals. Her market research around data strategy, AI, fraud, identity and data management, paired with her broad Experian product knowledge, gives her a unique understanding of business automation and data trends. Erin is a frequent spokesperson and guest blogger.

Published: June 22, 2026 by Julie.JLee@experian.com