Loan Empower Solutions- Central Bank of Ireland Issues Warning on Unauthorised Firm

What Changed

• - The CBI has added Loan Empower Solution (website: lesolution.eu) to its public list of unauthorised firms and explicitly categorised it as an unauthorised retail credit firm operating without the required authorisation in Ireland.
• The CBI has publicly stated that Loan Empower Solution appears to be operating an advance fee fraud model, where upfront payments are requested for credit services that are never provided.
• The CBI has confirmed that the firm is using a purported Irish business address (The Merrion Buildings, 18–20 Merrion Street, Dublin 2, D02 XH98), a non-Irish telephone number, and a specified contact email, indicating a potential cross-border scam t
• The firm’s name has been published under section 53 of the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013, reaffirming the CBI’s use of its statutory power to publicly identify entities suspected of unauthorised activity.
• The CBI has directed the public to its unauthorised firms search and financial scams information pages, implicitly reinforcing expectations that firms promote use of these tools in their consumer protection and fraud-prevention frameworks.
• The notice reiterates that suspected unauthorised activity should be reported to the CBI through the designated telephone line or online reporting channels, underscoring the regulatory expectation of escalation and cooperation from authorised firms.

Suggested Considerations

• Review and update internal unauthorised-firm and scam monitoring procedures to ensure Loan Empower Solution and its identifiers (name, website, address, email, telephone number) are captured in watchlists, fraud rules, and staff guidance.
• Screen recent and ongoing customer transactions and communications for any references to Loan Empower Solution or similar lending scams requesting upfront “loan fees”, and escalate any matches to fraud and compliance teams.
• Update customer-facing communications and website scam warnings to highlight the risk of advance fee fraud in retail credit, referencing the need to check the CBI registers and unauthorised-firms list before engaging with lenders.
• Ensure call centre, branch, and digital support staff are trained to identify and respond to customers approached by unauthorised lenders, including how to advise customers to verify authorisation status on the CBI website and to report suspected scams.
• Incorporate checks against the CBI unauthorised firms search into onboarding, due diligence, and third-party risk management processes for any lending-related partnerships, introducers, or lead generators.
• Review outsourcing and referral arrangements (including credit brokers, lead providers, and introducers) to confirm that no pipeline or referral relationships exist with Loan Empower Solution or similar unauthorised entities.

Key Dates

Who is Affected