The Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) provided credit guarantees of $105 million as of February to businesses as their working capital for expansion.
In a factsheet issued on March 10, CGCC said that as of the end of February it has supported 1,155 businesses by providing credit guarantees for their loan applications, amounting to $104.9 million.
Large portions of the loan guarantee were used as working capital and other purposes of investment or business expansion, and capital expenditure, the report mentioned. As of January 2023, the outstanding guaranteed loan was $81.6 million while the outstanding guaranteed amount was $58.8 million.
Various credit guarantee schemes have played a crucial role in strengthening entrepreneurship and enhancing financial inclusion in Cambodia, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, through the smooth disbursal of loans, CGCC said.
The CGCC has come up with three guarantee schemes so far — the Business Recovery Guarantee Scheme (BRGS) launched in March 2022, the Co-Financing Guarantee Scheme (CFGS) unveiled in September 2021 and the Women Entrepreneurs Guarantee Scheme launched in April 2022, besides the extension of the CFGS to tourism. The CGCC of the Ministry of Economy and Finance has extended the BRGS from January 1, 2023, until the $200-million scheme is fully utilised.
Updating some scheme features, including the scheme period, the definition of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and large firms, and the maximum loan amount for each guarantee are on the extension of BRGS.
BRGS aims to support businesses, including MSMEs and firms, to enhance their access to formal loans from Participating Financial Institutions for working capital, investment, and business expansion.
Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia Plc (CGCC) reportedly issued a total of 1,155 Letters of Guarantee (LG) for loans worth $104.9 million equivalent as of February 28 – up 13 per cent year-to-date – as part of its mission to improve financial inclusion among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME) and promote the sustainability and expansion of businesses worst hit by Covid-19.
As of January 31, the outstanding guaranteed amount was $58.9 million out of the $81.6 million worth of loans covered by the LGs, as noted by the state-owned enterprise in a new report, remaining in the 70-80 per cent target range at just over 72 per cent.
The CGCC was established by Sub-Decree No 140/ANKR/BK on September 1, 2020, and its $200 million Business Recovery Guarantee Scheme (BRGS) was launched on March 29, 2021 in a bid to widen access to formal loans from participating financial institutions (PFI) for working capital, investment and business expansions.
Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) chairman Sok Voeun lauded the CGCC’s credit guarantee arrangements as important tools for SMEs to access formal unsecured loans to keep their businesses afloat and expand in light of Covid-19 bruises.
He told The Post on March 13 that commercial banks accounted for 80 per cent of loans covered by the 1,155 LGs, while microfinance institutions (MFI) “partnering with the PFI” constituted the rest.
On the other hand, banking institutions accounted for about 95 per cent of the $104.9 million loan value, he said.
“We’ve provided credit to most of the priority sectors, including services, agriculture and manufacturing,” he affirmed.
“We are happy to join the CGCC because risks are guaranteed. We’ve noted that since the beginning of the project, the rate of bad loans has been minimal because the businesses have the potential to stimulate economic activity, although they may not have collateral.
“Hence the credit guarantee scheme has been a big help for them to expand their businesses,” he said.
The finance ministry has authorised the extension of the BRGS beyond December 31, 2022, until all funds have been utilised, an early-January CGCC statement confirmed, which noted that the terms of the scheme had also been updated, including the maximum guarantee amounts for differing categories of businesses.
The statement disclosed that loans, mostly unsecured, totalling about $89 million were guaranteed by the CGCC as of December 31 under the BRGS.
Cambodia Post Bank Plc, one of the PFIs, accounted for roughly $1 million of that, all of which went to SMEs, confirmed its CEO Toch Chaochek, telling The Post on March 13 that the plan is to increase that to $5-10 million in 2023.
To this end, the bank aims to shift its focus, from large SMEs with adequate collateral that are seeking to expand, to smaller ones without the assets needed for the secured loans to do the same, he revealed.
“The CGCC project is great for SMEs that do not have the collateral to obtain the loans – they have a shot at rehabilitating and expanding their businesses,” Chaochek said.
On 01 March 2023, CGCC’s team led by Mr. Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, is honored to witness and attend the Graduation Ceremony of 129 trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” program, initiated by Sathapana Bank, co-supported by CGCC to improve financial literacy for entrepreneurs’ business development and Cambodia’s economy.
Graduation Ceremony of 129 Trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” Program
In September 2022, IFL was launched in partnership with likeminded partners such as Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC), and 2 more partners. The program was aimed to promote and improve financial literacy for women entrepreneurs in SMEs and MSMEs by providing networking opportunities and training sessions in areas like project management, financial management, marketing, sales, and more.
Graduation Ceremony of 129 Trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” ProgramGraduation Ceremony of 129 Trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” Program
Through this program, CGCC is delighted to contribute to creating a community classroom where SMEs and MSMEs could come together to learn and networking, also sharing the best practice/experiences for capacity building and accelerated the long-term entrepreneurship conceptual & practical.
Graduation Ceremony of 129 Trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” ProgramGraduation Ceremony of 129 Trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” ProgramGraduation Ceremony of 129 Trainees of the “I’m Financially Literate (IFL)” Program
On 27 February 2023, Mr. Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC participated as a panelist in the panel discussion on “Intervention programs of related stakeholders in promoting and developing women entrepreneurship” in the seminar on “Women Entrepreneurs in MSMEs: Expanding Opportunity for Women Entrepreneurs in Digital Economy and Society”, organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs, with more than 100 participants from Ministry and Provincial Departments of Women Affairs, related ministries, private sectors, and development partners.
CGCC in the Seminar on “Women Entrepreneurs in MSMEs” of Ministry of Women Affairs
This seminar is organized to promote the focus on women entrepreneurs in business development in the digital era and review the mechanisms of relevant institutions to support women entrepreneurs more effectively.
During the Panel Discussion, CGCC’s CEO shared with audiences about CGCC’s credit guarantee scheme for women entrepreneurs, as well as the positive trend of providing credit guarantee to women entrepreneurs. He also highlighted CGCC’s additional support mechanisms for increasing credit guarantees, as well as supporting access to finance for women entrepreneurs in response to capital requirements and other skills, especially digital skills for business development through various training collaborating with partner banks/microfinance institutions.
CGCC in the Seminar on “Women Entrepreneurs in MSMEs” of Ministry of Women AffairsCGCC in the Seminar on “Women Entrepreneurs in MSMEs” of Ministry of Women Affairs
The 11th Give a Day has featured the Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia as its keynote as well as enabled Cambodia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to connect at the new Khmer Enterprise Headquarters for the first time in 2023.
Khmer Enterprise CEO Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin delivered the welcoming remarks highlighting the ongoing progression of the initiative which was first piloted in 2021 before receiving its full funding for monthly and quarterly meetings in 2022 and has now been renewed for 2023.
“The Give a Day monthly meetings and quarterly ecosystem builder events have been greatly welcomed by Cambodia’s entrepreneurial community – and have provided both learnings and networking opportunities between various sectors,” he told over 50 attendees from the ecosystem at KE headquarters.
Give a Day: Credit Guarantee Schemes & Its role in Enterprise DevelopmentSabine Joukes Pact Cambodia Country Director and WE Act Chief of Party, Khmer Enterprise CEO Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin, Rajiv Pradhan Country Director at Swisscontact in Cambodia.
“We also wanted to welcome everyone to our new headquarters at the Business Development Center in Chroy Changvar, Phnom Penh, and advise that our open working space is available to everyone in the ecosystem as well as both our meetings’ rooms and event space,” he added.
Rajiv Pradhan Country Director at Swisscontact in Cambodia and Sabine Joukes Pact Cambodia Country Director and WE Act Chief of Party echoed this statement adding it was fantastic to reconnect the ecosystem for the first time in 2023.
Increase credit guarantee issuance by 50% in 2023
Delivering the keynote CGCC CEO, Wong Keet Loong commented the scheme was looking to increase the number of transactions it underwrites by 50% in 2023 as the organization looks to increase its outreach to the country’s micro and small and medium businesses, (MSMEs).
CGCC received its sub-decree on September 2020 and was fully incorporated in November 2020 its guarantees are intended to expand the availability of credit to smaller enterprises that may not have the collateral which banks typically require to advance working capital loans.
Give a Day: Credit Guarantee Schemes & Its role in Enterprise DevelopmentConversations after the keynote presentation.
Initially launched as a tool to close the credit gap that emerged between small businesses during the pandemic, the CGCC issued its first guarantee in April 2021 and has since given a total of 985 Letters of Guarantee (LG) for loans worth $92.7. Mr Loong said that the CGCC had even more ambitious targets for 2023.
“My biggest goal for this year is to increase the outreach of our guarantees. The CGCC wants to provide guarantees to 1500 SMEs this year. We want to guarantee $100 million of loans in 2023. I know that is optimistic but I believe it can be done,” he said in response to a question from Cambodia Investment Review.
Rising interest rates may impact growth
Mr Loong said that the main barrier to reaching this target was the global macro picture, particularly the impact of rising US interest rates.
“The main issue right now is that external factors are affecting the cost of funding, which is going up as US interest rates rise and this is affecting a number of financial institutions (FIs). They see that fixed deposit rates are going crazy which is good for depositors, but not FIs and this impacts their lending,” he added.
Give a Day: Credit Guarantee Schemes & Its role in Enterprise DevelopmentAttendees at the 11th Give a Day.
Global factors may act as a drag on the CGCC’s work in the near term, but fellow speaker H.E. Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin, CEO of Khmer Enterprise, said that if credit guarantees become more widely used in Cambodia it would make it much easier for firms to do business internationally.
“In their current state, a lot of Cambodian companies are unable to demonstrate a track record of success, however, if they run through the credit guarantee program with CGCC it provides a history of how well they managed issues such as shipping and cash flow.
So this is one of the things that we support them to expand their market internationally,” he said.
40% of its guarantees go to female-owned businesses
The CGCC currently offers four different guarantee products and in April last year, it launched it’s third the Women Entrepreneurs Guarantee Scheme (WEGS), a $50m capped fund that is aimed at supporting women and female-owned businesses.
According to the CGCC’s data up to 40% of its guarantees go to female-owned businesses, whereas Mr Loong said that up to 65% of Cambodian MSMEs were run by women. An audience member, who didn’t identify herself, suggested that this gap was partly due to issues over lack of financial knowledge.
“One reason is that we know most women entrepreneur’s businesses are not registered and one way to improve that is via financial literacy, and this will have many benefits. If financial literacy is growing then entrepreneurs are more confident, more informed, and able to negotiate good loans,” she said.
Give a Day: Credit Guarantee Schemes & Its role in Enterprise DevelopmentQuestions and answer session.
Mr Loong responded that the CGCC did support unregistered businesses, for the first year at least and that expanding awareness of credit guarantees should in turn increase the number of registrations by female business owners.
“However, we tell customers that you need to be registered after a year, because when the anniversary comes, if you’re not registered, then we charge you an additional 0.5%. So, in a way, it incentivizes businesses to be registered. But when they come on board, they can be unregistered,” he said.
The Give a Day program returns in 2023
Give a Day is an initiative within the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building Project (EEB) which is jointly funded by Khmer Enterprise, USAID’s WE Act Project through Pact Cambodia and Swisscontact.
In addition, to monthly meetings, the initiative also included a quarterly Ecosystem Builders Network (EBN) event that focused on mapping the six pillars of Isenberg’s Model of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.
Give a Day: Credit Guarantee Schemes & Its role in Enterprise DevelopmentThe 11th Give a Day program at Khmer Enterprise Head Office on February 10, 2023.
The quarterly meetings created a space through which ecosystem builders and government agencies can share information, foster best practices, identify market gaps and opportunities, and explore collaboration or complementarity to strengthen the ecosystem.
Cambodia’s ESO ecosystem, broadly defined as groups that support, train, and fund entrepreneurs is still in the nascent stage with many new organizations launched to help nature and develop the sector.
CGCC is honored to donate the water treatment system to Koh Sdach High School on 05 February 2023, led by Mr. Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, and presided over by Mr. Say Heng, Chief of Koh Sdach Commune, Mr. Rov Ratanaksambath, Chairman of the School Management Committee, Mr. Phok Hoeun, Principal of Koh Sdach High School, and participated by students of Koh Sdach High School and the parents of the students, in total about 200 participants.
CGCC’s CSR Event – Donating Water Treatment System to Koh Sdach High School
The donation of this water treatment system from CGCC will enable students and the community to have clean drinking water. This system can supply drinking water for the entire island. This would save cost for the community and improve their livelihood and hygiene as well as maintain a clean environment on the island.
During this CSR event, Mr. No Lida, Deputy CEO of CGCC, led the CGCC’s team on 4 February 2023 to pay a coutesy visit to the Chief of Koh Sdach Commune and Koh Sdach High School’s Principal, and to collect waste around the island for a cleaner environment with participation from students of Koh Sdach high school.
CGCC’s CSR Event – Donating Water Treatment System to Koh Sdach High School
CGCC is very pleased and highly appreciates the administration and the people of Koh Sdach for their support and assistance in making CGCC’s CSR mission completed successfully.
CGCC’s CSR Event – Donating Water Treatment System to Koh Sdach High School
“I’m Financially Literate” training program was concluded last weekend on 28 and 29 January 2023. This program was successfully launched by Sathapana Bank, in partnership with Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC), Khmer Enterprise, and Manulife Cambodia, aiming to promote and improve financial literacy for women entrepreneurs and business owners.
CGCC Supports the Accelerating SMEs’ Financial Literacy through the “I’m Financially Literate Program” 5th Cohort
CGCC and other partners have the great honor to support this training program in enabling and championing women in Business in Cambodia as well as providing the development in technical, soft, and entrepreneurial skills including project management, operation handling, financial management, marketing, and sales. As a result, 30 SMEs and business owners attended the 5th cohort and shared their experiences and related financial issues.
CGCC Supports the Accelerating SMEs’ Financial Literacy through the “I’m Financially Literate Program” 5th Cohort
Canadia Bank has partnered with Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia and Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association to provide special loan offers to members of both associations.
Canadia Bank provide special loan offers to:
1. Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia
Unsecured Loan Under CGCC Scheme from Canadia Bank
2. Cambodia Women Entrepreneurs Association
Unsecured Loan Under CGCC Scheme from Canadia Bank
Interest Rate as low as 13.20% p.a
Loan Size: Up to $100,000
Loan Term: Up to 5 Years without collateral
Terms & Conditions
Be a member of Young Entrepreneur Association of Cambodia (YEAC) or Cambodia Women Association (CWA).
Business must be validly registered prior to loan approval (at least by district level/delegation authorities). For expired registered, shall renewed within 3 months upon loan drawdown.
Business length shall be greater than 2 years as of application date.
Borrower must be owner of business and represent name on business registration.
Loan request for the purpose of working capital or Investment/Business Expansion.
*** Note: The original content on this page is produced and owned by Canadia Bank
1. What is your bank perspective toward the credit guarantee schemes in Cambodia and what encourage Sathapana to join as CGCC’s PFI?
Credit guarantee scheme is important in filling the financing gap for SMEs. The scheme provides credit risk mitigation to Sathapana Bank. This, in turn, helps us to extend loans to SMEs which contribute significantly to the economy of Cambodia. The Credit Guarantee of Cambodia (CGCC) therefore plays a crucial role in supporting credit access for SMEs in the country.
2. After signing a partnership with CGCC and becoming one of the most supportive CGCC’s PFIs in disbursed guaranteed loans, how do the credit guarantee schemes benefit the bank and your customers?
Majority of the lending products in Cambodia are secured loans. We saw working with CGCC as a good opportunity for us to extend our support to our customers who require funding to help their business grow with no collateral needed. The scheme allows us to innovate and provide a 100% hard collateral-free loans to business owners. We are proud to be the first bank to do so. As of September 2022, more than USD12 million of loans have been booked under Credit Guarantee Scheme. For our clients, the scheme gives them the opportunities to continue growing their business with better access to financing.
3. What motivates Sathapana to initiate the uncollateral loan product “Business Installment Loan Program (BIL)” that is 100% unsecured loans for borrowers with the capacities to repay but lack of collateral?
In Cambodia, FIs are mainly lending against hard collaterals. Access to credit will be curtailed for business owners who do not have hard collateral to provide to FIs to secure the loans. We believe this represents a large segment of the market. Our goal is to help them to gain access to financing to help them grow while managing our credit risks.
4. Recently, CGCC, Sathapana and two other partners have jointly organized a flagship training program called “I am Financially Literate (IFL)”, how does this program support SMEs and drive more growth to their businesses including access to financing?
IFL is an executive program initiated by Sathapana Bank in a joint partnership with CGCC and two other partners. The program aims to promote and improve financial literacy for women entrepreneurs and business owners through practical training sessions. The training includes project management, operation handling, financial management, marketing, and sales. Through IFL, participants are better equipped with making financial assessments and the know-how in getting access to financing.
5. As currently, Sathapana Bank’s momentum in disbursing unsecured loans for businesses under CGCC’s guarantee is moving fast, what is the future plan/strategy of Sathapana Bank for further expanding the usage of credit guarantees all over Cambodia?
In line with the government strategy to support the tourism sector to recover from the pandemic, we are working on a program with CGCC to support the recovery scheme. In addition to this program, we are launching a few initiatives country-wide to support clients in supply chain, leveraging on our extensive branches network.
6. As the credit guarantee topic is still considered as a new topic in Cambodia, what should Sathapana Bank and CGCC do to raise awareness of credit guarantees to the borrowers?
Through IFL, Sathapana Bank and CGCC are reaching out to customers who need to help grow their businesses. This is one of the few initiatives that we are working together to create more awareness and promotion of the credit guarantees to our customers who are looking for financing but are not sure how and what are their options. We can also personalize our message and communicate the benefits of our BIL program and scheme to the meet the needs of customers from different geographical locations and industries.
As one of the first banks who become CGCC’s PFIs, what motivates Canadia Bank to utilize the credit guarantee schemes with the existing loan products of Canadia?
One of the main reasons that motivates us to use credit guarantee schemes is that we believe that the CGCC credit guarantee scheme can help potential business owners who need loans to for their businesses but do not have enough collaterals to access more capitals to meet the financial needs of their businesses, especially to recover and expand the businesses after the COVID crisis has been eased.
After adopting CGCC’s credit guarantee schemes for more than a year, how do those schemes benefit the bank and your customers?
We have provided loans under the CGCC credit guarantee schemes to more than 200 clients with a total loan size of nearly $ 20 million over the past year. Through these guaranteed loans, clients are able to expand their business in various sectors that generate more employment and contributed significantly to the country’s economic recovery.
How does Canadia Bank structure loans with credit guarantee?
We have CGCC’s guaranteed loan programs for potential clients with good credit histories and clear business plans. It can be provided to both existing customers and new customers.
Recently, both Canadia Bank and CGCC have each launched products supporting women entrepreneurs. How will the “Smart Lady Loan” and CGCC’s “Women Entrepreneurs Guarantee Scheme” (WEGS) impact women-owned SMEs in greater access to finance regarding unsecured loans?
“Smart Lady” of Canadia Bank and “Women Entrepreneur Guarantee Scheme (WEGS)” of CGCC are making a significant contribution to support women entrepreneurs to access to the finance for their business needs, avoiding high-risk and risky loans. Through these two projects, women entrepreneurs have not only been able to access their loans more easily and conveniently but have significantly reduced their financial costs, especially in the first year, which included lower interest rates and guarantee fees. In addition, women entrepreneurs will receive many other benefits through the Smart Women Lady loan program from Canadia Bank.
Canadia Bank is currently the top performer of using CGCC’s scheme, what is Canadia Bank’s strategy of further expanding the usage of credit guarantees, especially to the rural area SMEs?
We continue to reach out to our target customers, especially those who have potential businesses but do not have sufficient collateral to secure a loan. We will also continue to link credit guarantee schemes with our new loan products to provide a wider range of options for our customers.
As the credit guarantee topic is a new topic in Cambodia, how should Canadia Bank and CGCC do to raise awareness of credit guarantee to the borrowers?
In order to raise awareness about credit guarantee, we should continue to promote it more comprehensively, especially reach out to more business owners through social media, workshops, business associations, etc.
