CGCC is a state-owned enterprise, established under the technical and financial guidance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to provide credit guarantees based on international standards to improve financial inclusion and support the growth of SMEs in Cambodia. CGCC obtained the accreditation from the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (“SERC”) to become the bond guarantor on 22 August 2023 (“Bond Guarantor” or “Guarantor”).
CGCC wishes to provide guarantee on bonds to be listed on the Cambodia Securities Exchange.
CGCC is seeking to engage a Cambodian legal counsel (“Legal Counsel”) to perform the services as described in the scope of work.
In 2014, I started this pig farm business. Initially, this farm was a farm raising piglets, but in 2019 this it was transformed into a bigger farm supplying meat.
When starting this business, I faced two main challenges: technical and financial challenges. Technology changes rapidly from one year to another requiring businesses to have enough capital to keep up with it. Based on the technical standard, my farm must have a biogas plant to protect the surrounding environment by reducing emission of toxic fumes and odors. The biogas plant can also recycle waste and other residuals. Fortunately, Biogas Technology and Information Center (BTIC) provided technical support to me to restore and set up a biogas plant for my farm. However, I need more capital. With the cooperation with CGCC, BTIC introduced me to a way to access non-collateralized loans with credit guarantees. With CGCC’s guarantee, I could get a business loan from Canadia Bank as requested on time without collateral. The guaranteed loan served as my working capital, which allowed me to continue building a new biogas plant to support my pig farm.
Obtaining guaranteed loans depends on the potential of my business, namely the possibility of growth, a good credit history, and the required documents that prove the need for the loan for my business. Other business owners who require additional capital, but no collateral can also seek for credit guarantee from CGCC through CGCC’s PFIs.
Credit guarantee aims to support businesses, especially SMEs, access to formal loans. Under CGCC’s current schemes, CGCC provides credit guarantees on loans disbursed by banks and microfinance institutions that are the participating financial institutions (PFIs) to the borrowers. To reap the benefits of credit guarantees, the borrowers must be ready to apply for loans from the PFIs in the first place. Understanding how the PFIs assess the borrower’s creditworthiness helps the borrower better prepare to get the guaranteed loans.
Conditions
5 important things SMEs should understand to apply for guaranteed loans!
Before approving a loan, the bank must be convinced about the loan purpose and the appropriate loan amount for such purpose. How can the borrowers convince the bank? A reliable business plan and financial statement are good testimony to justify the loan purpose and amount. A proper business plan and financial records not only make it easier to borrow but also allow borrowers to critically examine the current business condition and plan better for success. Precisely, they help gauge the appropriate loan amount and repayment capacity. Indeed, borrowing the right amount matters. A surplus borrowing costs unnecessary accumulated interest, fees, and prepayment penalties, while inadequate borrowing may hinder potential business growth. This is called “condition,” one of the 5 Cs that banks use to evaluate borrowers’ creditworthiness.
Collateral
5 important things SMEs should understand to apply for guaranteed loans!
Given that the condition is satisfied, banks also require “collateral” to protect themselves against loan default. The banks typically provide loans worth about 70% of the borrower’s collateral value. The collateral requirement is one of the main challenges for borrowers’ access to loans from banks. According to IFC, of all small and medium enterprises that approached banks for loans, 66% were rejected because of lacking collateral requirements. This is why CGCC comes in. CGCC provides credit guarantees to banks to act as collateral on behalf of the borrowers. CGCC’s PFIs can assess the borrower’s creditworthiness by treating the credit guarantee as the borrower’s collateral. This reduces the collateral burden for the borrowers when applying for loans.
Capacity
5 important things SMEs should understand to apply for guaranteed loans!
The ability to repay the loan is the fundamental requirement for the bank to approve a loan. Regardless of satisfactory conditions and collateral or CGCC’s guarantees, the banks would not lend, and CGCC cannot guarantee if the borrowers cannot prove that they can repay the loans. So how can the borrower justify the “capacity” to repay? Again, this is when a reliable business plan and financial record can come into play. A proper financial statement tells the borrower’s assets, liabilities, equity, income, and cash flow which are reliable sources to evaluate the repayment capacity. Plus, the business plan describes the future business trajectory in which future income can also be used to justify the repayment capacity.
Capital
5 important things SMEs should understand to apply for guaranteed loans!
If banks provide business loans, they want to know how much own “capital” the borrower put into the business. This matters because it shows the borrower’s commitment to the company where the loan proceeds will be used. It shows “skin in the game.” How can the borrower master this? The proper financial record should show the owner’s equity in the business. Official supporting documents such as partnership agreement and company registration are valid evidence of the borrower’s investment in the company. Usually, banks find it more challenging to assess informal or unregistered businesses because they lack reliable sources of the document to validate their creditworthiness. That is why businesses are encouraged to register to improve their access to finance.
Character
5 important things SMEs should understand to apply for guaranteed loans!
Another criterion to prove the repayment capacity is the “Character” of the borrower. Notably, banks investigate the borrower’s credit records, including loan repayment history, number of loans, and current loan outstanding, etc. The primary purpose is to assess the borrower’s trustworthiness. Currently, Cambodia Credit Bureau (CBC) provides comprehensive credit reporting on individuals and businesses, which is helpful for banks to evaluate the borrower’s character. However, in some instances, if your credit records are not favorable, you need to strengthen other Cs to convince the banks. For example, during the COVID-19 Pandemic, many businesses face challenges leading to late debt repayment and loan default, adversely impacting their “Character” and “Capital.” In this case, to get loans, the borrowers need to demonstrate a solid business plan which can improve “Condition” and “Capacity” and utilize CGCC’s credit guarantees which can improve “Collateral.”
As we can see, the 5Cs – condition, collateral, capacity, capital, and character – are important factors that banks evaluate the borrowers before deciding to lend. Improving the 5Cs increases the chance of getting loans from banks. A reliable financial statement and business plan can be used to validate every Cs, while a credit guarantee can help address the “Collateral” issue.
From 29 August to 02 September 2022, CGCC team led by Mr. No Lida, Deputy CEO of CGCC, visited provincial branches of selected participating financial institutions (PFIs) to discuss with the management and staff of the selected PFIs the implementation of CGCC’s credit guarantee schemes. The selected PFIs in 3 provinces including Kampong Speu province: Canadia Bank and AMK Microfinance Institution; Preah Sihanouk province: ABA Bank, LOLC Microfinance Institution, Sathapana Bank, Canadia Bank, AMK, and Acleda; and Kampot Province: ABA Bank, Acleda Bank, AMK, and LOLC.
The discussions with CGCC PFIs’ provincial branches in these 3 potential provinces provided opportunities for both CGCC and PFIs to enhance mutual understanding of credit guarantees and opportunities for PFIs to increase lending to borrowers that lack collateral when requesting loans, especially where the provinces are the potentials in tourism sector, CGCC got the chance to bring awareness of the newly launched scheme, Co-Financing Guarantee Scheme for Tourism Sector, to enhance the support for businesses in tourism sector in getting guaranteed loans from CGCC’s PFIs.
Through these face-to-face discussions with more than hundreds of PFIs’ provincial managements and staffs, CGCC had such a great opportunity to learn directly about the implementation of credit guarantees by these selected PFIs provincial branches as well as their comments and feedback on CGCC’s credit guarantee schemes. CGCC and PFIs will continue to strengthen cooperation in providing guaranteed loans to business owners.
On 01 September 2022, Ministry of Economy and Finance and CGCC organized a Dissemination Seminar on “Guaranteed Loans to support SMEs Development in Tourism Sector” in Kampot Province, in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, through the provincial department of tourism, and SME bank, which was participated by more than 50 business owners in the tourism sector.
This seminar was presided by Mrs. Chin Sopheakla, Deputy Director of Kampot Provincial Department of Tourism, Mr. No Lida, Deputy CEO of CGCC, and Mr. Neav Sokun, Chief Operation Officer of SME Bank.
Dissemination Seminar on “Guaranteed Loans to support SMEs Development in Tourism Sector”
Through this workshop, SMEs in the tourism sector, including resorts, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, etc., were informed about the benefits of getting guaranteed loans, in response to the lack of collateral when applying for loans for the purpose of improving and recovering their business that are impacted by COVID-19 pandemic.
SMEs also learned about government’s financial supporting mechanisms on favorable loans conditions such as low-interest rate through SME Bank and guaranteed without collateral by CGCC.SMEs can request for guaranteed loans for their tourism related businesses through CGCC’s “Co-Financing Guarantee Scheme for Tourism Sector” that act as collaterals for business loans in the tourism sector through “Tourism Recovery Co-financing Scheme” of SME Bank.
Dissemination Seminar on “Guaranteed Loans to support SMEs Development in Tourism Sector”Dissemination Seminar on “Guaranteed Loans to support SMEs Development in Tourism Sector”
The Ministry of Economy and Finance is pleased to announce the launch of the Business Recovery Guarantee Scheme (BRGS) by Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) today. The BRGS aims to support businesses including micro, small and medium enterprises, and large firms to enhance their access to formal loans from Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) for working capital, investment, and business expansion. This initiative is in line with the policies of the Royal Government of Cambodia to support the survival and economic recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CGCC is the first-ever credit guarantee corporation in Cambodia, established by the decision of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister as a state-owned enterprise under the technical and financial guidance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. CGCC’s main mission is to provide credit guarantees to PFIs to support and assist financially viable businesses that lack collateral when applying for loans.
The first tranche of the BRGS will contribute to $200 million increase of new loans in the banking sector for business owners to borrow from the following CGCC’s PFIs i.e., ACLEDA Bank, Asia Pacific Development Bank, AMK MFI, Cambodia Post Bank, Canadia Bank, Phillip Bank and Prince Bank. The scheme will also be available at other banks and MFIs that are in the process of becoming CGCC’s PFIs. CGCC’s guarantee will act as collateral/security for 70%-80% of the loan amount borrowed from the PFIs; thus, reducing the physical collateral required from the borrowers.
H.E. Ros Seilava, Secretary of State of Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Chairman of CGCC’s Board of Directors states that the launch of the BRGS by CGCC is timely to support businesses who plan to borrow from the PFIs during this pandemic. This milestone supports the Government’s policy to maintain sustainable and inclusive economic growth and in line with the Industrial Development Policy 2015–2025. He calls for banks and MFIs to support CGCC by being its PFIs and ensure good credit governance.
Cambodian-owned businesses (>50% ownership) may approach the above PFIs for the CGCC scheme or visit CGCC’s website www.cgcc.com.kh for more information. The Ministry of Economy and Finance and CGCC look forward to working closely with all stakeholders to support the growth of businesses with the BRGS.
