TomoCredit

TomoCredit ("Tomo," short for "tomorrow's credit") is a San Francisco-based consumer fintech that issues a credit card for people with little or no U.S. credit history. Rather than relying on FICO scores or credit reports, the company underwrites applicants using their bank-account data and cash flow, applying a proprietary scoring model it calls the Tomo Score to identify borrowers it considers high potential despite thin files. The card is marketed with no credit check, no security deposit, 0% APR and no fees, and card payments are reported to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion so users can establish a payment history.

The product is a Mastercard issued by Community Federal Savings Bank. Applicants must be 18 and hold an SSN or ITIN; non-U.S. citizens may apply with a government-issued ID or passport. Users link at least one bank account through Plaid, and the platform analyzes balances and spending patterns to set a credit limit; third-party review coverage cites limits of $100 to $10,000, while the company said in 2022 it offered limits up to $30,000 based on cash flow. Balances are repaid automatically on a weekly cycle, and the account is frozen rather than charged interest or late fees if funds are insufficient. The card earns 1% cash back, redeemable after the monthly statement balance is paid in full.

The company initially targeted immigrants and international students, then broadened to domestic students, gig workers and small businesses seeking to build credit quickly. It has stated plans to extend its underwriting into auto loans and mortgages, and more recent company announcements reference an AI-powered financial wellness positioning and a TomoIQ AI financial assistant.

Founding story

Founder and CEO Kristy Kim immigrated from South Korea to the United States alone at age 11. After graduating from UC Berkeley and beginning a career in investment banking in San Francisco, she was repeatedly rejected for apartment rentals and later for an auto loan because she had no U.S. credit score, ultimately persuading a landlord directly and borrowing money from family in Korea to buy a used car in cash. Concluding that the separation between banking and lending data made the credit system archaic and inefficient, she set out to build a cash-flow-based alternative. She teamed with Dmitry Kashlev, a Russian immigrant, in January 2019 to create a product for other foreign-born individuals and young adults facing the same barriers.

Business model

TomoCredit issues a consumer credit card through partner bank Community Federal Savings Bank and does not charge cardholders annual fees, maintenance fees, foreign transaction fees, application fees or interest. Credit limits are set from linked bank-account data, and balances are automatically repaid weekly, with account freezes replacing interest and penalty charges when a payment cannot be collected.

The company states it earns revenue from interchange/merchant fees charged to merchants on card transactions rather than from consumer fees or APR.

Traction

TomoCredit said it had pre-approved more than 300,000 customers by September 2021 and expected to issue 500,000 cards by the end of that year, and that it had received 2.5 million applications by July 2022, though it declined to disclose cardholder counts. It reported 1,000% revenue growth in 2021 and said it was on track for another 1,000% year-over-year increase in 2022. CNBC reported, based on documents it reviewed, that the company brought in more than $20 million in 2024.

Latest developments

A September 2025 CNBC Make It profile of Kristy Kim described TomoCredit as a San Francisco fintech helping consumers with limited credit history build credit and improve personal finances, reporting revenue above $20 million in the prior year. Company announcements distributed via PR Newswire describe TomoCredit as an AI-powered financial wellness platform, cite a consumer survey finding nearly 90% of respondents associate the term "credit score" with something negative, and report a No. 2,052 placement on the 2026 Inc. 5000 alongside its TomoIQ AI financial assistant.