News
Room for Improvement in Cambodia’s Bank Sector
While Cambodia has made considerable strides in its banking sector, it still lags behind countries in the region in the areas of e-banking and access to services, industry experts attending the Fifth Banking and Microfinance Conference at the Intercontinental Hotel in Phnom Penh said yesterday. ...
Micro-life insurance on rise
When 46-year-old Than Thol got a $900 loan from Samic Microfinance last year, he took advantage of a little-known and lengthily worded insurance program called Measure for Economic and Accelerated Development for All, or MEADA. MEADA provides coverage for families of mostly lower-income borrowers in the ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013060466033/Business/micro-life-insurance-on-rise.html
AEON widens HP to farmers
AEON Microfinance (Cambodia) Co Ltd says it has expanded its installment payment services into the agricultural sector, a new business type industry insiders say could be successful, but will still not be enough to strengthen one of Cambodia’s most crucial economic sectors. “We will co-operate with ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013052365789/Business/aeon-widens-hp-to-farmers.html
Instalment payments for goods gaining purchase
AEON Microfinance (Cambodia) Co, part of Japan-based AEON Group, said sales by instalment for electrical appliances and motorbikes increased by 715 per cent in the first quarter of 2013 year on year, a trend industry experts say will grow further with increasing demand for electronics. Started ...
Major banks show more agricultural sector trust
Major financial institutions show more trust in providing loans to the agricultural sector, evidenced by increasing agricultural loan disbursement, thanks to potential growth in the sector and better preparation of financial report among borrowers, according to industry insiders. Acleda Bank, Cambodia’s largest domestically owned bank, has ...
Huge Increase in MFI Loans, Deposits
More economic activity and a better understanding of using formal financial services among rural residents are leading to good loan performance rates and increases in savings deposits in Cambodia’s microfinance industry, according to industry sources. The loan portfolios of the 35 registered microfinance institutions (MFI) and ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013050265366/Business/huge-increase-in-mfi-loans-deposits.html
New Mortgage Program Helps Cambodia's Poor Find Better Homes
If you’ve applied for a mortgage recently, you know how hard it can be. The bank demands all kinds of obscure documents and wants proof of almost every asset you own. But an innovative mortgage program halfway around the world will evaluate your application without ...
http://www.wbur.org/npr/176121367/new-mortgage-program-helps-cambodias-poor-find-better-homes
Cambodia’s Economic Growth Will Help Poverty Reduction
Cambodia economic growth was 7.3 percent in 2012. Agriculture grew by 4.3 percent, crops by 4.9 percent, fisheries by 6.7 percent, industry by 9.2 percent, garment [sector] by 6.9 percent and the service industry by 8.1 percent, said Dr Hang Chuon Naron, Secretary of State ...
Acleda to Launch Banking Services in Burma
Acleda Bank announced on Sunday that it will expand its banking services into Burma by opening a microfinance institute there in January. ...
Maruhan Japan Bank buys stake in MFI
Maruhan Japan Bank yesterday became the first commercial bank in Cambodia to make a direct equity investment into a microfinance institution by becoming Sathapana’s majority shareholder, with a 95.1 per cent stake. Financial details were not disclosed. ...
First financial leasing company for Cambodia
GL Finance (GLF), the first and only financial leasing company in Cambodia, opened its 11th branch in Phnom Penh on Friday, covering all authorized Honda and NCX dealerships in Phnom Penh and its vicinity. GLF, in partnership with Honda NCX, helps customers buy their own motorbikes and provides ...
Cambodia has potential for social businesses
Despite challenges, Cambodia has potential for the establishment and expansion of social businesses, participants of the Microfinance & Social Business Conference in Phnom Penh said yesterday. While social business in Cambodia is still in an early phase compared to micro-finance “Cambodia is a promising land” for such ...
ADB cites weaknesses of microfinance sector
THE PHILIPPINES is one of the leading countries in microfinance policy and regulation in Asia but it still lags in terms of scale and reach to the poor, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said. “Of the 21 countries with ADB support during 2000-2010, ADB’s efforts were ...
Rice Farmers Struggle Despite Production Growth
High production costs and a lack of government assistance is keeping rice farmers near the poverty line despite unprecedented growth in the sector, according to a new study released by local microfinance institution Intean Poalroath Rongroeurng (IPR). The independent study, conducted by two Cambodian researchers ...
Acleda Eyes Expansion Into Burma
Cambodia’s largest bank, Acleda, is looking to get in early on Burma’s economic reawakening with plans to open three microfinance branches in the country as soon as January, the bank’s CEO said yesterday. In Channy said he discussed the plan on Monday with a visiting Burmese ...
Cambodia’s top micro manager [Interview]
How did the floods affect the industry late last year? Of course, we were worried when the floods began because many people were affected. When the floods continued, we did a survey and found that just about 10 per cent of MFI borrowers were affected. But ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012030754891/Business/cambodias-top-micro-manager.html
$100m fund to target Kingdom’s growth
Vietnam-based Dragon Capital is raising up to US$100 million for a new Indochina fund, some of which the private equity firm would invest in Cambodian agriculture and infra-structure, Dragon’s chief information officer Bill Stoops said yesterday. Dragon Capital has a 20 per cent stake ...
Despite Hun Sen's appeal, MFIs stay the course
A meeting between microfinance organizations and the finance minister yesterday resulted in no agreements or special measures for debtors affected by last year’s floods, a microfinance representative said, adding that the sector had done enough already to address concerns over debt among flooded communities. On ...
US supports $2.7m in loans for agriculture
The US government is working with a Cambodian microfinance institution to finance $2.7million in loans to farmers and small- and medium-sized agro-businesses in Battambang, Kompong Thom, Pursat and Siem Reap provinces in order to improve their access to credit, the US Embassy said. USAid will work ...
MFI survey claims debtor success
A survey by Cambodian microfinancers showed debtors were better off in several respects than those who didn’t borrow from the institutions, MFI officials claimed. Responding to recent concerns over the role of microfinance institutions in creating poverty and loss of property in the Kingdom, the Cambodia ...
French financing: Cambodian MFI fetches $5m loan
Hattha Kaksekar Limited, one of Cambodia’s largest microfinance institutions, has received a US$5 million loan from a French development organisation in order to meet rising demand among its client farmers. PROPARCO, which is a joint venture between the French Development Agency and public and private shareholders, ...
Dry season rice crop jeopardized
The Center for Study and Development of Agriculture (Cedac) is calling on the government and microfinance firms to issue low-interest loans for flood-stricken farmers in order to save this year’s dry season rice harvest. Floods have destroyed 10 percent of the rainy season rice crop and ...
Floods to push up non-performing loans in 4th quarter
The worst floods in a decade may boost the number of nonperforming loans in the Kingdom’s microfinance industry in the fourth quarter, insiders said yesterday. However, those insiders said the damage done to Cambodia’s agriculture sector would not have a significant impact given the MFIs’ diversified ...
NBC calls on MFIs to spread risk
The National Bank of Cambodia was pushing microfinance institutions to look to domestic banks for funding in an industry heavily reliant on foreign loans, experts said yesterday. Although the NBC is seeking to foster healthier relationships between MFIs and the Kingdom’s commercial banks, a dearth of ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2011090951563/Business/nbc-asks-mfis-to-diversify.html