On October 10, 2023, Management and all staff of CGCC organized a blessing ceremony at CGCC’s office to welcome the upcoming Pchum Ben Festival.
We would like to extend our wishes to CGCC’s staff and beloved families, CGCC’s partners and stakeholders, and all Cambodian people happiness, prosperity, and safe travel to everywhere
On 30 August 2023, CGCC organized a training on “PowerPoint Designs and Presentation Skills” for all staff at CGCC head office.
CGCC hopes this training course will help improving the presentation skills of all CGCC staff and contributing their work performance as well as CGCC development as a whole.
Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) and the Branch of Kasikornbank Public Company Limited (Phnom Penh) have signed the Credit Guarantee Agreement to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The signing ceremony was held at CGCC’s office in the presence of Ros Seileva, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Chairman of CGCC, Cherdkiat Atthakor, Ambassador of Thailand to Cambodia and Suwat Techawatanawana, Executive Vice President of Kasikornbank Thailand.
Wong Keet Loong, Chief Executive Officer of CGCC, said that the bank’s branch in Cambodia can tap on their experience in providing guaranteed loans in Thailand.
“The collaboration also opens up opportunities for us to explore cross-border guarantees between businesses in Thailand and Cambodia. We have also plans to collaborate with the Thai Credit Guarantee Corporation, which has more than 30 years of experience, towards the end of this year,” he said.
Ritthiwut Watthanachai, General Manager of Kasikornbank in Phnom Penh, said that the initiative seamlessly aligns with the bank’s business plan for the next phase.
“The partnership with CGCC will be the key enabler for us in extending our reach to a broader entrepreneur base while improving our service capabilities. As the first Thai bank to join the credit guarantee scheme, this partnership underlines Kasikornbank’s aspiration and commitment to supporting the government’s vision for SME development,” he said.
CGCC aims to improve financial inclusion and develop MSMEs with the main mission of providing guarantees for loans given to MSMEs through Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs).
The Kasikornbank in Phnom Penh now become one of the 27 PFIs of CGCC, committing to assisting business entities in line with the Cambodian government’s direction to support MSMEs.
The CGCC has provided credit guarantees of $139.5 million to 1,648 businesses for their working capital expansion as of July 2023.
The Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) and Kasikornbank Public Co Ltd’s (KBank) Phnom Penh branch have formalised a credit guarantee agreement. This move aims to enhance confidence and extend guaranteed financing to business proprietors, particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME).
Among those present at the signing ceremony at the CGCC headquarters in Phnom Penh were Ros Seileva, chairman of the CGCC and secretary of state for the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Thai ambassador Cherdkiat Atthakor and KBank Thailand executive vice-president Suwat Techawatanawana.
Wong Keet Loong, the CEO of CGCC, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership.
“We’re honoured to collaborate with a top-tier bank to provide credit guarantees to bolster MSME financing in Cambodia,” he stated.
He highlighted the extensive experience of the Thai banking sector in guaranteed loans and hoped this would translate to more financing opportunities for Cambodian businesses.
“This partnership paves the way for cross-border guarantees between Thai and Cambodian enterprises. We’re looking to collaborate and learn from the Thai Credit Guarantee Corp, seasoned with over 30 years of expertise, later this year,” Loong added.
Ritthiwut Watthanachai, the general manager of KBank Phnom Penh, emphasised the strategic importance of Cambodia in the growth plan of the Bangkok-headquartered KBank, one of Thailand’s premier financial institutions formerly known as Thai Farmers Bank.
“Our alliance with CGCC significantly broadens our outreach to entrepreneurs, enhancing our service capabilities. Being the first bank to participate in the credit guarantee plan showcases our commitment to fostering MSME growth in alignment with the government’s vision,” Watthanachai said.
CGCC’s core mission is to augment financial inclusivity and foster MSME growth by ensuring loans through Participating Financial Institutions (PFI) for MSMEs. On the other hand, KBank Phnom Penh offers an array of financial services and solutions catering to individuals and enterprises.
Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC), a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Economy and Finance was established in November 2020. Since it started operations in March 2021, CGCC has launched several credit guarantee products to support loans extended to MSMEs through its participating Financial Institutions (PFIs). With CGCC’s credit guarantee, it has brought a positive impact on the economic activities of MSMEs with credit additionality of approximately USD145mil guaranteed loans. CGCC has supported financing to about 1,700 MSMEs who provide jobs to more than 27,000 workers.
The impact of CGCC has been steadily growing. Many PFIs are seeing the benefits of providing guaranteed loans as a risk-sharing mechanism and for capital management purposes, as guaranteed loans will carry a zero-risk weight from 2024 onwards. With the support of CGCC, PFIs will be able to extend more credit to business entrepreneurs.
The accomplishments of CGCC have been recognised by the SME Finance Forum with an Honorable Mention in the “Product Innovation of the Year” category of the Global SME Finance Awards 2023. The awards presentation was held in Mumbai recently, endorsed by the G20’s Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion (GPFI), capturing the effective and successful practices of institutions, honouring the innovative products and services for SME clients that have achieved impressive results in expanding finance and services to SMEs and the institutions that undertake those efforts.
Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, commented “We are honoured to receive this recognition for the work we have done at CGCC. This achievement is testament to our part in supporting MSMEs in getting loans to grow their business”. He added that “this award is dedicated to all CGCC staff who have been committed to being part of a state-owned enterprise to play a role in supporting the growth of MSMEs and nation building. My salute to them for their passion and dedication and I hope that this recognition will continue to inspire them to excel further”.
CGCC has been recently accredited by SERC to be Cambodia’s first bond guarantee institution. With that, CGCC is now able to support all segments of businesses from small to large enterprises in obtaining financing. The credit guarantee is an effective financial tool to improve financial inclusion.
On 7th & 19th September 2023 at 2:00 pm, CGCC organized the 15th Board of Directors Meeting at CGCC Office under the chairmanship of H.E. Ros Seilava, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Chairman of CGCC’s Board of Directors, with the presence of members of the Board of Directors and the state controller.
The agenda of this 15th Board Meeting includes:
(1) CGCC Work Progress Report
(2) Strategic Business and Budget Plan for 2024
(3) SDG Financing Facility with UNDP
(4) Other Matters
CGCC’s Board of Directors Meeting is regularly organized to review, endorse, and approve CGCC’s activities and progress, especially the credit guarantee schemes, to ensure the transparency and efficiency of CGCC.
The Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC) under the Non-Bank Financial Services Authority (FSA) of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) has accredited the state-owned Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) as the country’s first guarantor for bond issuance to support local companies in raising funds, said a statement.
The statement obtained by Khmer Times last Friday pointed out that the SERC issued a formal letter to accredit CGCC as Cambodia’s first bond issuance guarantor on August 22, 2023, which will play an important role in the development of the securities sector in the country through being a third party in making payments of timely interest and principal.
CGCC has developed a policy framework on bond guarantee that was approved by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of MEF Aun Pornmoniroth on May 17, 2023, in response to the sustainable development of Cambodia’s financial market through the company’s delivering guarantee on bond issuance services to corporations to raise funds for business development.
“The guarantee on bond issuance service can provide further support to encourage bond issuance by local companies, attract investors to invest in corporate bonds, increase the liquidity of riel from the bond issuance and improve the credit rating of corporate bonds, in which response to the sustainable development of the financial market,” said the statement.
Sou Socheat, Director General of SERC, told Khmer Times last Friday that accrediting the CGCC as a guarantor is another milestone for our bond market development and the presence of CGCC in the securities market is expected to help to boost the bond market development in Cambodia through building more market confidence and lower the issuance cost.
“As for our regulation, we cover only corporate bonds but we also don’t prohibit [the guarantor] from guaranteeing the government bonds,” said Socheat, when asked whether CGCC or a bond guarantor can guarantee government bonds or not. “So, it should be their answer if they want to provide guarantee to government bond,” Socheat pointed out.
Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, said that CGCC has become the first bond guarantee institution in Cambodia to corporate bonds listed on the country’s stock market Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX), which is a step towards developing the bond market in Cambodia and the company will apply for a credit rating from the Rating Agency of Cambodia.
“Private sector businesses can now raise funds via issuing a bond to support their business expansions [as] bond issuance is another option for private sector companies to obtain funds besides loans from financial institutions,” said Keet Loong, adding that a credit rating will enhance the bond rating of the corporate bond that is guaranteed by CGCC as the guarantor.
“With our guarantee, bond investors will have added confidence in investing in corporate bonds. Local financial institutions including insurance companies can now become bond investors with guarantees. As a local bond guarantor, we hope to attract more foreign funds to the stock exchange,” said Keet Loon. CGCC gets technical and financial support from MEF.
Ros Seilava, Secretary of State of MEF, said allowing CGCC to expand its business to bond guarantee is a long-term consideration of the government to make full use of CGCC’s role to participate in the development of the bond market through guarantee on bond issuance in addition to CGCC’s on-going implementation on loan guarantee in the banking sector.
“[It] reflects the government’s strong commitment to ensure the sustainability of the company’s businesses to support the development of small and medium enterprises in our country,” said Seilava, who is also the chairman of CGCC with its primary mission to provide credit guarantee to improve financial inclusion and support the growth of SMEs in Cambodia.
Seeing that the financial awareness of Cambodian people is still limited, and their use and management of finances are not very effective, my husband and I started this company RithyPul in 2012 to spread the knowledge and share financial advice. Until 2020, our business was affected by the COVID-19, however we can still get through it until today. The most difficult factor at that time was the lack of working capital to support day-to-day business operations. At that time, we used our property as collateral to apply for a loan, but we still could not get enough capital as needed. The best solution at that time was to have a CGCC’s Participating Financial Institution, CAMMA Microfinance, advising us to apply for a CGCC guaranteed loan for our business, which would allow us to obtain a loan without collateral to use as working capital.
After obtaining guaranteed loans from Participating Financial Institution of CGGC, we are also able to address several key issues such as marketing, advertising, and overall business operation costs. We have expanded our business with more staff, and customers becoming more aware and acquainted with the use of our services has increased steadily. On the other hand, we also have more time to think about new strategies without having to worry about capital issues.
The success of a business depends on many factors, including having enough working capital, that is the most important factor for every business. We would like to thank the Government for establishing CGCC to support our business and other MSMEs on access to finance, as well as to improve financial inclusion in the country.
Adverse selection and moral hazard are the problems arising from information asymmetry that can lead to market failure. Information asymmetry occurs when parties of a transaction do not have equal relevant information to execute a fair transaction. For instance, when buying a second-hand car, the buyer does not know its defects as much as the owner does. The owner would know an underlying price for his car, while the buyer may not have equal information to negotiate down to a fair price that best matches the car’s true value. In this case, the information asymmetry can lead to second-hand car market failure by preventing the buying-selling transaction from happening because the buyer believes whatever price the seller agrees to sell would be more advantageous to the seller. Information asymmetry is the term coined by Nobel Prize winner economist George Akerlof in 1970.
Information asymmetry can be observed in different types of transaction. In bank loans, borrowers generally know better about their own repayment capacity than the bank from which they seek the loans, making it difficult for the banks to determine a fair price (i.e., interest rate) that best suits the borrower’s creditworthiness. In a credit guarantee, information asymmetry is when a lending institution that seeks guarantees on loans has more information about the loans and the borrowers than the credit guarantor. Information asymmetry can lead to two problems – adverse selection and moral hazard.
When there is an information asymmetry, the banks might be unable to distinguish between bad and good borrowers. Facing this risk, the banks may set an interest rate that is too high for good borrowers. Good borrowers will then leave the market; only bad borrowers remain to seek loans. This is called adverse selection. As such, one way to increase credit market efficiency is to narrow the information gap between lenders and borrowers. That is why banks usually require as much information as possible from the borrowers before lending to reduce the risk of adverse selection. Adequate, reliable, and timely information about the borrowers would help the banks to narrow information gaps and offer fair loan conditions that can make both parties better off. Similarly, an adverse selection in credit guarantee is the risk that the lending institution, having better information about the borrowers and loans, only selects the bad loans for guarantees from a credit guarantee institution.
Wing Bank (Cambodia) Plc, Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC), and Federation of Association for Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMEC) have forged an impactful strategic partnership—a visionary move aimed at boosting the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Cambodia.
The collaboration is a strategic effort to address collateral challenges faced by SMEs when applying for bank loans and enhance financial literacy among the SMEs, exclusively for FASMEC members across the Kingdom. This will be achieved by providing financial solutions by Wing Bank on a collateral-free basis and secured with credit guarantees from the state-owned CGCC.
CEO of CGCC, Wong Keet Loong, said, “We are excited to partner with Wing Bank and FASMEC to support FASMEC’s SME members in increasing their access to loans through potential guarantees.”
“This partnership will provide valuable resources for FASMEC, enabling their members to grow and succeed by accessing financing and improving financial literacy, aligning with our goals at CGCC,” Wong highlighted.
CGCC, the first state-owned credit guarantee institution operating under the Ministry of Economy and Finance, aims to bolster local businesses by offering timely credit support. As of July 2023, CGCC has successfully granted credit guarantees amounting to $139.5 million, benefiting 1,648 enterprises. Nearly 92 per cent of these are micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). In comparison, the remaining 8 per cent are larger businesses.
“Through our innovative financial solutions and partnership with CGCC and FASMEC, we are committed to empowering SMEs with greater access to finance,” said Han Peng Kwang, CEO of Wing Bank. “By providing flexible banking services and credit support, we are enabling SMEs to seize growth opportunities, drive innovation, and contribute to the overall prosperity of Cambodia.”
SMEs who are members of FASMEC can access not only finance guaranteed by CGCC through Wing Bank but also enjoy broader opportunities to connect with potential customers, vendors, and suppliers. This is made possible through Wing’s ecosystem.
Wing Bank provides convenient retail solutions through its WingPay platform, supporting transactions within the Wing ecosystem’s B2B and B2C platforms, including Wingmarket, WingAgri, and Wingmall.
Wingmarket acts as a supply chain solution, streamlining supply chain management for SMEs and corporate businesses. WingAgri serves as a reliable agriculture e-commerce platform, connecting farmers with buyers through a virtual marketplace. Wingmall, a trusted B2C platform, is widely used by numerous restaurants in Cambodia, ensuring seamless transactions and enhancing the customer experience.
The strategic partnership between CGCC, FASMEC, and Wing Bank is poised to foster a supportive environment for financial accessibility, effectively addressing the hurdles SMEs encounter in securing loans, and expanding their market accessibility.
“We are delighted to partner with Wing Bank and CGCC, as it presents a remarkable opportunity for FASMEC members SMEs who face challenges in accessing finance due to a lack of collateral,” said Okhna Te Taing Por, President of FASMEC. “This partnership will enable them to expand their businesses and achieve substantial growth.”
According to local media reports, the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation registered 43,974 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) last year. These registered SMEs provided 444,504 jobs for Cambodian individuals. SMEs comprise about 90 per cent of all enterprises, contributing to 58 per cent of the GDP and employing over 70 per cent of the workforce.
FASMEC Members can conveniently visit any Wing Bank branches to apply for a loan, where dedicated staff are ready to assist them with all their financial needs. The members can also approach Wing Bank staff during the training sessions organized by FASMEC throughout the country.
Credit to: Khmer Times, Published on 23 August 2023