Credit Bureau (Cambodia) Co., Ltd announces commitment of USD 1 million to promote financial inclusion in Cambodia

Credit Bureau Cambodia (CBC) has announced commitment of USD 1 million in support of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy to promote and strengthen financial inclusion over the next five years in Cambodia.

CBC announced its five-year strategic plan with commitment of USD 1 million to closely work with the local community to support the National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS) 2019-2025 centred on initiatives around Responsible Lending, Gender-inclusive Access to Finance and Financial Education.

CBC will support the initiatives of the National Bank of Cambodia and join hands with financial sector ecosystem players in the country to further strengthen progress on financial inclusion. Strengthening reporting and supporting responsible lending through expansion of coverage of reporting financial institutions will be a key focus area under the plan. Additionally, enabling women’s access to finance, promoting financial literacy on credit reporting, digital finance education and consumer protection will be priority areas.

59% of Cambodians do not have access to formal financial services whereas 29% of adult Cambodians are completely excluded from access to formal as well as informal finance. Priority activities in NFIS 2019-2025 include promotion of innovative credit products, consumer empowerment and protection, financial sector transparency, among others aiming to reduce financial exclusion of women by half from 27% to 13% and increase usage of formal financial services from 59% to 70% by 2025.

“Financial inclusion is a strong enabler of addressing country’s economic growth and reducing inequality. As a key financial infrastructure in the country, CBC’s support shall bring synergy in NBC’s initiatives in driving financial inclusion in the country. CBC’s support areas shall help further improve inclusive and efficient credit markets, minimise transaction costs and reduce consumer vulnerabilities.”, stated H.E. Dr. Chea Serey, Chairwoman of CBC.

CBC manages the most comprehensive credit reporting system in the country covering credit histories of more than 7 million borrowers from more than 170 member financial institutions under the Prakas on Credit Reporting from the National Bank of Cambodia which enables lenders to quickly check credit histories of borrowers without which the whole decision process becomes very lengthy and tedious. By filling this information gap and significantly reducing transaction costs, CBC has been serving the country as one of the most important enablers of financial inclusion. More recently, with proliferation of technological advancements, CBC has been taking initiatives to tap alternative sources of data and adopt advanced data analytics to not only enable faster credit decisions but also bring the people with no or only little credit history under the formal financial sector.

Mr. Oeur Sothearoath, CEO of CBC stated, “We would like to express our commitment to support the implementation of NFIS 2019-2025 and contribute to enable wider access to financial services to all Cambodians thereby promoting their economic opportunities and well-being.”