Frequently Asked Questions
Estimator 9 is an end-to-end software platform that automates Expected Credit Loss (ECL) calculations for IFRS 9 compliance. It’s designed for banks and financial institutions of all sizes that need to calculate and report credit losses in a way that satisfies regulators and auditors. The platform handles everything from pulling in raw data to generating audit-ready reports. It’s currently used by over 56 institutions across 40+ countries.
Not at all. Estimator 9 is built to be used by a wide range of professionals, from finance and reporting teams to risk managers. While it has a powerful calculation engine under the hood, the platform is designed to make the process transparent and manageable. It comes with pre-configured templates and methodology defaults aligned with over 15 regulators, so you’re not starting from scratch. The goal is to let you focus on the results and compliance, not on wrestling with complex models.
The platform automates the entire three-stage allocation process. It automatically identifies a Significant Increase in Credit Risk (SICR) to determine if an asset belongs in Stage 1 (12-month ECL), Stage 2 (lifetime ECL), or Stage 3 (credit-impaired). It also handles the transfer tracking between stages and applies the correct calculation (lifetime vs. 12-month ECL) for each. This includes support for more complex scenarios like modified assets, forbearance tracking, and purchased or originated credit-impaired (POCI) assets.
Yes. Estimator 9 is built with integration in mind. It offers direct API integration with core banking systems and can connect to your data warehouses via ETL pipelines. It also syncs with general ledgers for automated journal entries and with risk platforms for bi-directional data flow. This ensures you can feed data in and get results out without manual data entry.
The most immediate difference is the deployment speed. Estimator 9’s cloud-native architecture allows for a 14-day deployment, compared to the 6–18 months often required for legacy on-premise platforms. Another key differentiator is transparency. With Estimator 9, every step of the PD, LGD, EAD, and stage classification is visible and auditable, which is crucial for defending your models to regulators. Legacy “black-box” engines often make this much harder.
Estimator 9 has a track record of over 200 Big 4 audit approvals with a 100% approval rate. The platform is built with auditability in mind, providing a clear evidence trail for every calculation. It also includes GPPC-compliant disclosure exports and committee artifacts, which are the exact types of documentation auditors expect to see. It’s essentially an “audit-ready” platform from day one.
The platform is designed to integrate forward-looking information seamlessly. It includes a dedicated module for macroeconomic scenario modeling, allowing you to identify Macro-economic Variables (MEVs) and run simulations. This is a critical requirement of IFRS 9, as ECL calculations must consider future economic conditions, not just historical data.
You have significant flexibility. While Estimator 9 comes with pre-configured methodology defaults for various regulators, it’s not a rigid system. It’s a quantitative platform that allows for customization in areas like portfolio segmentation (using advanced statistical techniques), PIT PD and LGD estimation, and bucket-wise EAD estimation. You can tailor the models to fit your specific portfolio and risk characteristics.
Most likely, yes. Estimator 9 ships with reporting templates and methodology defaults pre-aligned to the expectations of over 15 different central banks and regulators. The outputs are designed to match supervisory formats from day one, meaning you shouldn’t need a lengthy consulting engagement just to build templates.
Estimator 9 includes comprehensive in‑platform documentation, methodology guides, and validation reports. The platform’s transparency features let your team inspect every step of the PD, LGD, EAD, and SICR calculations, providing all the technical depth you need without requiring external documents.