HSBC has become the first UK bank to offer newcomers to the country the chance to utilise their international credit history when applying for a credit card.

When you move country, the credit history and positive credit score you’ve built up over time don’t come with you, so new arrivals to the UK can find it hard to apply and be accepted for banking and other essential services.

HSBC has teamed up with Nova Credit – a cross-border credit bureau – to offer a way to ease the financial transition.

It begs the question whether a similar scheme could be introduced to allow tenants to bring their credit history from other countries.