Assets is the term for the values and possessions that a company or individual owns and controls. This can be anything from buildings and machinery to cars, software, rights and inventory.
The concept plays a key role in accounting, credit scoring and risk management, and assets often form the basis for assessing the financial situation of a company or individual.
How are assets divided?
Assets are usually divided into two main categories: fixed assets and current assets. These classifications are central to financial statements and are used, among other things, to assess the financial stability of a company.
Fixed assets are the assets that the company owns and uses over a longer period of time. They can be physical objects such as buildings, production equipment or vehicles, but also non-physical assets such as software, licenses or patents.
Current assets refer to the assets that the company sells on an ongoing basis in the course of its operations. This could be inventory, receivables or cash and cash equivalents.
Tangible and intangible assets
Assets can also be divided according to their nature:
- Tangible assets are physical and tangible. Examples include machinery, furniture, IT equipment and buildings.
- Intangible assets are non-physical but still have value. They can be software, trademarks, domain names, know-how and goodwill.
Both types are important for financial analysis and credit scoring, where a holistic understanding of a company's assets can be crucial.
Assets in credit scoring and data analytics
At Qatchr, we work with solutions that support digital credit scoring and risk management. In this context, assets play an important role - for example, when assessing a customer's ability to pay or when opening a new account.
Ved at kombinere oplysninger om aktiver med andre økonomiske data, skabes et mere nuanceret billede af en virksomhed eller privatpersons økonomiske situation. Det kan være nyttigt, både når man skal beslutte om man vil indgå et samarbejde – og i overvågningen af eksisterende kunder og debitorer.
Assets as part of data-driven decision making
In a digital and data-driven reality, asset information is increasingly used as part of automated assessments and risk scoring. When asset data is combined with other credit data, a more complete picture is created that supports smarter decisions - for example, when onboarding new customers or performing ongoing risk assessment.
For compliance, know-your-customer (KYC) and credit management professionals, reliable asset data can be an important part of minimizing risk and optimizing the customer journey.
Read also: Liabilities
