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Understanding Financing Options for Businesses

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

What are the available financing options for your business? In today’s dynamic business environment, securing the right financing is the key to propelling businesses towards success. Whether it’s borrowing from family members or raising funds from the public through an initial public offering (IPO), each avenue has its own unique characteristics suitable for businesses in different circumstances. Exploring financing options is a strategic approach to building a strong and sustainable financial foundation for the business.

1. Debt Financing

Debt financing is a method for businesses to raise funds by borrowing from lenders such as family, friends, financial institutions, or investors. The borrower is required to repay the loan principal plus interest during the debt’s maturity. Debt financing is a common and straightforward way to secure funds for business operations.

A loan from family or friends is the most appealing option for start-ups and small businesses. These loans and loans from other unregulated and unlicensed lenders are considered informal loans. This financing typically does not require a business track record, comes with loose terms and minimal paperwork, and is quick and easily accessible. However, informal loans have many drawbacks. For example, the borrowers’ creditworthiness is not properly assessed, which often results in a high loan default rate and the borrower’s high indebtedness. Furthermore, there is no standard loan restructuring to help the borrowers who face financial difficulty, and the recovery of the informal loan can be very harsh, leading to relationship breakdown. This risk underscores the need for caution and careful consideration when opting for this type of financing.

Another type of debt financing option is bank loans. Understanding and demonstrating the 5Cs—character, capital, collateral, capacity, and condition—is crucial when considering formal bank financing. Formal bank loans provide a better loan handling process. Bank loans are strictly regulated, and the banking regulations are designed to protect consumers and banking stability. CGCC has supported businesses in access to formal banks loans by providing credit guarantees which act as collateral for the borrowers.

Once a business matures, generally after 3 years or more of successful operation, it can consider raising funds through bond issuance. A bond is a fixed-income debt instrument, an alternative to a bank loan. Lenders lend money to the borrowers by purchasing the bonds issued by the borrowers who promise to pay back the principal plus interest during the maturity of the bond. Compared to a bank loan, a bond offers more flexibility in structure, size, maturity, and interest payment. The comparison between bank loans and bonds is explained in CGCC’s Newsletter Issue 9. CGCC launched the Bond Guarantee Scheme in January 2024 to support corporations issuing bonds in Cambodia.

2. Equity Financing

Equity financing is a method of raising capital by selling a portion of business ownership to investors. When investing in a company’s equity, the investors become shareholders of the business and may be able to influence critical company decisions. While equity investors are not entitled to fixed interest payments from the business, they share the profit and loss of the business. Equity financing can be raised through a private offering from angel investors and venture capital or a public offering from public investors.

An angel investment is an equity investment by angel investors (wealthy individuals with business experience) who purchase ownership of a business, usually a start-up, that they find attractive and have the potential to grow and generate high profits. To raise funds from angel investors, the business owners should have a solid business plan that can convince the angel investors to invest. Unlike angel investors, who invest their own money in the business, venture capitalists use a pool of funds from individual and institutional investors. Venture capital conducts stricter due diligence on the businesses before deciding to invest and can provide technical assistance and managerial experience to improve the operation of the company.

Another financing option is an initial public offering (IPO), a process of selling company shares to public investors for the first time. Since the funds are raised from the public, a publicly listed company is required to go through rigorous due diligence and comply with strict disclosure requirements. Therefore, IPO can increase the company’s publicity, credibility, and greater access to financing for long-term future growth. The process of IPO is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia.

 

Read more: Understanding Financing Options for Businesses

 

CGCC, GuarantCo Sign MoU to Promote Bond Market in Cambodia

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

State-owned enterprise Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) signed an MoU on Thursday with GuarantCo for a structured facility that enhances guarantee capacity in the bond market space.

Cambodia is unusual in that its bond market is larger than its equities market when in most countries it would be the other way around. The Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) has 23 listed companies – 11 offering their equity shares and 12 offering their bonds. But it’s the bond market that is set to see a boost as five more companies are expected to list, which would take the total number of listed bond players to 17 versus 11 equity players.

CGCC said it has a total guarantee capacity of $200 million. “CGCC had an unusual beginning in that it started right in the middle of Covid. We started guaranteeing loans to SMEs. Today we’ve guaranteed loans amounting to $164 million to 1,928 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) as we mark three years of operation. But our vision has expanded now and we’ve also set up a Sustainable Green Financing Facility and this bond guarantee scheme for which we hope we’ll have a valuable partner in GuarantCo,” said KL Wong, CEO, CGCC. He added that it would be reassuring to prospective bond investors that their partner GuarantCo is a Fitch “stable” and “AA” rated entity.

With the partnership, speakers at the events said that CGCC would get technical assistance from GuarantCo on navigating the bond issuances and the bond market. GuarantCo could potentially combine its resources with CGCC to enhance its combined bond guarantee capacity. Also present at the event were Hong Sok Hour, the Royal Government Delegate in Charge as CEO of Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) and Seang Thirith, Deputy Director General of Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC).

“At GuarantCo we are keen on enabling sustainable infrastructure in Africa and Asia. So far we’ve encouraged infrastructure development in low-income countries through the provision of credit guarantees that enable infrastructure projects,” said Nishant Kumar, Managing Director (Asia) of GuarantCo, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG).

“And in many countries we work like Nigeria and Pakistan we’ve had to set up a credit guarantee facility from scratch. But, Cambodia already has a credit guarantor in CGCC. An extremely innovative approach by the government that I’m not sure I’ve seen replicated anywhere else in this region,” said Denesh Srishanker, Credit Enhancement Facility Director, PIDG. “We’re more keen on local solutions to help local markets. And we do want to close the infrastructure funding gap in countries like Cambodia,” he added.

Innovation in funding is something the UK Government is keen on, said Dominic Williams, British Ambassador to Cambodia, while citing Britain’s role as Cambodia’s long-term development partner. “Cambodia has traditionally had a model of relying on the government budget and its external/international development partners. But, guaranteeing bonds for investor confidence could ensure the country gets other sources of funding too for its critical infrastructure projects,” said Williams.

GuarantCo Managing Director Kumar also talked about other projects they have done in the country, including providing a $70 million bond guarantee to CamGSM (popularly known as Cellcard) to finance its telecom infrastructure; its $24 million bond guarantee to Royal Railway Cambodia to invest in the national railway system; and $7 million in debt financing to MFI First Finance for building affordable housing for low-and-middle income groups in Cambodia.

“We are keen on credit enhancement, providing technical assistance to CGCC and creating viable opportunities for private investors in frontier markets,” said Philippe Valahu, CEO, PIDG.

On the timeframe of execution, CGCC CEO Wong said that they (CGCC and GuarantCo) are hoping to do their first combined bond guarantee this year. “On tax incentives, we are not the authority to comment. But I can tell you that we have approached the General Department of Taxation (GDT) and made a representation asking if it would be possible for the government to give some sort of tax incentives for bond investors and those keen on green financing,” said Wong.

Credit to: Khmer  Times, Publish on 02 August 2024

Job Vacancy with CGCC – Head of Credit Management, Deputy Manager of Procurement

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia Plc. (CGCC) is a state-owned enterprise established under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. CGCC was recently set up to improve financial inclusion and develop the growth of SMEs in Cambodia. It plays an important role in the economic development of the country.

We are expanding our team! Join us, If you want to be part of the team, CGCC is urgently seeking qualified candidate for the following positions:

Head of Credit Management

1. Job Overview

  • Will be responsible for overseeing on credit evaluation, credit administration, claim management, Non-Performing Loan and recovery management, management of reporting, and operational credit documentation, supporting the development and enhancement of GMS (Guarantee Management System), managing team, and building a good relationship with PFI.
  • The internal ranking of this position is Manager.

2. Key Responsibilities:

  • Reporting to the Director of Centralized Operations (DCOP) in managing all aspects of centralized operations, including branch operations (if any) credit evaluation and credit administration, loan monitoring and recovery management, claim management, customer satisfaction, feedback management etc.
  • Assist the DCOP to be accountable for all credit evaluation and credit administration related matters e.g., ensure loan is approved within the provided Turn Around Time (TAT), manage claim request and proceed with claim settlement upon all term and conditions are fulfilled and accurate etc. and authorize all core systems data input (data amendments etc.)
  • Support and assist the DCOP on implementing operational matters of all CGCC’s credit guarantee schemes and bond guarantee to ensure the sustainability of CGCC’s product and service.
  • Assist the DCOP in supporting the development & enhancement of GMS (Guarantee Management System) and derive greater productivity and cost efficiency across all operational processes, including the review for process automation.
  • Assist the DCOP in management of reporting and operational credit documentation and periodic review on Portfolio Guarantee scheme (PGS).
  • Assist the DCOP to develop all credit management and loan monitoring related policies, standard operating procedures and framework and ensure the quality of credit documentation, specifically facility offer letters in line with the approved credit application, credit policies and procedures, prudential guidelines, and other relevant legislation.
  • Support and assist the DCOP to build and supervise a team of appropriate skills to assist him/her in carrying out his/her duties and ensure that they are trained accordingly.
  • Responsible for dealing with issues related to centralized operational matters with proper timeframe and building good relationships with PFIs.
  • Responsible for providing training to existing or new PFIs related to Guarantee Application Form (GAF) filing process and/or monthly report submission to ensure speed up the turnaround time.
  • Carry out any other duties and ad-hoc assignments assigned to him/her by the DCOP or Managements of the CGCC as and when required for CGCC.

3. Qualification Requirements

  • At least 5 years’ experience in the financial industry or banking sector related credit evaluation, credit admin, non-performing Loan, and recovery management.
  • Experience of managing team.
  • Bachelor’s degree in finance, business administration, or a related field
  • Proficiency in relevant software and systems.
  • Analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Attention to detail and accuracy.
  • Ability to work under pressure and meet targets.
  • Age from 30s up to 40s.

 

Deputy Manager of Procurement

Key responsibilities:

  • Organize and prepare annual procurement plan to submit to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) for review and approval.
  • Supervise and manage the implementation of the procurement plan and prepare quarterly, semi-annual, and annual procurement reports to submit to MEF.
  • Set up, develop, prepare, implement, and improve procurement policies and procedures.
  • Organize annual procurement plans and/or amendment of procurement plans in case of necessity.
  • Organize, monitor and manage all bidding processes for each type of procurement that is determined by the CGCC.
  • Organize to open the public competitive bidding with taking charge in reviewing by procurement committee.
  • Issue the notification on the decision to award contract to the successful bidders by copying it to all failed bidders & organize to advertise the result of bidding.
  • Prepare the report regarding procurement implementation as in Monthly, Quarterly, Semester, and Annual report.
  • Coordinate and facilitate all aspects of procurement procedures.
  • Ensure the CGCC’s procurement is in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations in Cambodia.
  • Carry out any other duties and ad-hoc assignments assigned by the Director of HCA.

Qualification Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Economics, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • At least 3-5 years of experience in Procurement, Finance, or Administration.
  • Strong Communication and negotiation
  • Knowledge of MS. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project.
  • Good in English, Writing & Speaking.

 

Deadline: 31st July 2024

 

CGCC Participating in the 47th Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP)

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

Mr. Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, led the CGCC’s team to participate in the 47th ADFIAP Annual Meeting from 15 to 17 May 2024, at Sofitel Phnom Penh, hosted by the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (ARDB) of Cambodia.

The 47th ADFIAP Annual Meetings is attended by more than 400 participants from more than 40 countries who are ADFIAP members, representatives from developing partners, representatives from the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders to share experiences from the countries in the Asia Pacific under the topic “DFIs’ Role in Sustainable Finance Ecosystem: Cultivating a climate-smart and sustainable future”. CGCC also submitted an application to be a member of ADFIAP through this annual meeting as well.

 

$30M Credit Guarantee Scheme for Rice Inked

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

The state-owned Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC), Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) and participating financial institutions (PFIs) signed an agreement on the $30 million Rice Export Guarantee Scheme (REGS) to help millers stockpile rice for milling, processing, exporting and making local value-added products.

The signing ceremony was held last Friday in the presence of Ros Seilava, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Board of Directors of the CGCC and the management and members of CRF, PFIs and CGCC.

The official cooperation by the three parties on REGS is aimed at increasing the productivity and competitiveness of Cambodia’s rice industry and boosting rice exports in line with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy on agriculture.

CGCC launched REGS as a portfolio guarantee scheme, having seven financial institutions participating including AMK Microfinance Institution, Canadia Bank, Foreign Trade Bank of Cambodia (FTB), Maybank (Cambodia), Prince Bank, Sathapana Bank, and Wing Bank (Cambodia).

The scheme will address the financing needs of rice exporters and millers having no collateral to avail of loans from financial institutions, especially during the harvest season.

At the ceremony, Ros Seilava said that the launch of the project is a reflection of the government’s strong commitment to support Cambodian rice production and rice exports through the public credit guarantee scheme, of which CGCC is the operator, by providing guarantee coverage of 80 percent with a maximum loan of up to $3 million.

“The REGS will support the financing needs of rice exporters and rice millers to purchase paddy from farmers to produce rice for exports in line with the government’s policy to increase rice production and exports,” he said.

Chan Sokheang, President of CRF said the rice credit guarantee package will help millers expand their businesses and use the by-products to other sectors such as aquaculture and livestock farming.

“The guarantee package is also an additional incentive for expanding exports to one million tonne per year as set by the rice production policy of the Royal Government, and we believe that this plan will be achieved by 2025,” he added.

Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, said that the scheme comes with special features – lower guarantee fees, higher guarantee covers and loan interest rate not exceeding 11 percent a year.

“We are supporting the aspirations of the government to export one million tonne of rice by 2025. This is our first tranche for the scheme and we can increase the scheme size if there is higher demand,” Wang said.

Cambodia exported more than 248,000 tonnes of milled rice in the first four months of 2024, earning a total revenue of $170 million, a CRF report showed.

The exported rice varieties included fragrant rice, white rice, parboiled rice and organic rice, among others.

Credit to: Khmer Times, Published on 13 May 2024

Rice Credit Guarantee Scheme Inked to Boost Rice Productivity and Export

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

The state-owned Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC), Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF), and Participating Financial Institutions (PFIs) signed an agreement on the Rice Export Guarantee Scheme (REGS), which helps millers expand their scope to stockpile rice for milling, processing, exporting, and increasing local value-added products.

The signing ceremony was held on May 10 under the presidency of Ros Seilava, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with the participation of more than 70 people who are members of the CGCC Board of Directors, the management and members of CRF, the management and staff of PFIs, and CGCC.

The ceremony was held to seal the official cooperation between CGCC, CRF, and PFIs on the Rice Export Guarantee Scheme (REGS). The scheme aims to increase the productivity and competitiveness of Cambodia’s rice industry and boost rice exports in line with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy on agriculture.

CGCC launched the $30 million REGS as a portfolio guarantee scheme, with seven financial institutions participating, including AMK Microfinance Institution, Canadia Bank, Foreign Trade Bank of Cambodia (FTB), Maybank (Cambodia), Prince Bank, Sathapana Bank, and Wing Bank (Cambodia).

Speaking at the ceremony, Ros Seilava said that the launch of the $30 million REGS project reflects the Royal Government’s strong commitment to supporting Cambodian rice production and exports through the public credit guarantee scheme, of which CGCC is the operator. The scheme provides guarantee coverage of 80 percent on the maximum loan of up to $3 million.

“The REGS will support the financing need of rice exporters and rice millers to purchase paddy from farmers to produce rice for exports in line with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s policy to increase rice production and exports,” he said.

Chan Sokheang, President of CRF said the rice credit guarantee package will help millers expand their scope to stockpile rice for milling, processing, exporting, and increasing local value-added products derived from its by-products milling all rice to other sectors such as aquaculture, livestock farming.

According to Wong Keet Loong, CEO of CGCC, the scheme comes with special features – lower guarantee fees, higher guarantee covers and loan interest rate not exceeding 11 percent p.a.

“We are supporting the aspirations of the Royal Government of Cambodia to export 1 million tonnes of rice by 2025,” Wang said.

CGCC is a state-owned enterprise under the financial and technical guidance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance with a main mission to provide credit guarantees to improve financial inclusion and support the development of small and medium enterprises. AKP

Credit to: Khmer Times, Published on 11 May 2024

CGCC Provides $17M Credit Guarantees to MSMEs in Q1

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

The Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) provided credit guarantees of nearly $17 million in the first quarter of this year to 49 micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) as their working capital for expansion.

“In the first quarter of January to March, we saw a positive trend in the issuance of guarantees. We recorded a 30 percent increase in guarantees issued from 166 (4th quarter of 2023) to 215 with the amount of guaranteed loans increasing by 8.5 percent to $ 16.8 million,” a CGCC report issued recently showed.

The first quarter figure brought total credit guarantees to $181 million as of the end of March, supporting 2,143 MSMEs since its service launched in 2021, read the report.

As of March, the outstanding guaranteed loan was US$121.32 million while the outstanding guaranteed amount was $87.63 million.

There are 1,988 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and 155 large businesses in Cambodia, the report said, adding that 881 of the businesses were women-owned.

2024 marks the 4th year of operations for CGCC. CGCC is optimistic that the credit guarantee will continue its momentum to increase annually, its CEO KL Wang said.

“Our participating FIs are beginning to find importance in the guarantees as a form of risk sharing for supporting their loans to MSMEs. Also, with the recognition of guaranteed loans to be zero-risk weighted, it will improve the FIs capital adequacy ratios,” Wang said.

The CGCC scheme involves 28 participating financial institutions (PFIs) to extend credit as working capital investment and business expansion to SMEs.

Established in November 2020 with a state budget of $200 million, the CGCC is the preferred credit guarantee institution in Cambodia set up to improve financial inclusion and develop the growth of SMEs.

CGCC, operated under the technical and financial guidance of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, launched the first guarantee scheme on 29 March 2021.

CGCC’s credit guarantee is instrumental in aiding MSMEs to obtain sufficient financing, enabling the enterprises to capitalize on investment opportunities, boost employment and increase income.

In January this year, CGCC launched its guarantee for corporate bonds listed on the Cambodian Stock Exchange. This marks the diversification of our guarantees beyond bank loans to guarantee corporate bonds issued by larger-sized SMEs.

Credit to: Khmer Times, Published on 10 May 2024

The Business Owner Who Received a Loan Guaranteed by CGCC

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

Agriculture is a key sector in supporting the national economic growth. Rice market also plays an important role in promoting agriculture. Chhun Thom Rice Mill was established in 1997, initially as a family business. After years of operation, customers know the brand and begin to trust our products. I have seen opportunities to expand this business, especially on technologies such as the purchase of additional rice mills and the expansion of the location of the mill.

I was introduced by ABA Bank staff about the loan guaranteed by CGCC which can provide me additional capital even without collateral. Thanks to the credit guarantee from CGCC, I was able to get more capital to expand my rice mill business.

I strongly believe that the CGCC’s credit guarantee really support my business, as well as other potential SMEs that lack collateral to get necessary capital from banks or microfinance institutions for their business expansion.

Read more: Meet the Business Owner Who Received a Loan Guaranteed by CGCC

Understanding Non-Performing Loan

Posted on by Sorn Chhorvyvatey

Never before in the last fifteen years has the banking sector in Cambodia experienced a high non-performance loan (NPL) ratio. At the end of 2023, the NPL ratio stood at 5.4% and 6.5% in the banking and microfinance sectors, respectively, compared to an average NPL ratio of 2.18% between 2009 and 2022 (Chart 1). At the same time, as of February 2024, 133 of 2,070 accounts guaranteed by CGCC have become NPL, amounting to USD 9.76 million. The percentage of cumulative non-performing guaranteed amount over the guaranteed amount is 8.02%. Despite the challenging environment, NPL is manageable, and Cambodia’s banking sector remains resilient. Understanding NPL is critical to mitigating adverse impacts on borrowers, lenders, and the economy.

What is a Non-Performing Loan?

A non-performing loan occurs when the borrowers cannot fulfill their repayment obligations due to financial difficulty, i.e, late payments of more than 30 days for short-term loans, or more than 89 days for long-term loans. The criteria for classifying loan status are different from country to country. In Cambodia, the NBC classifies loans into five categories based on the number of days past due, as shown in Table 1 below. Loans under Normal and Special Mention are performing, while loans that fall under the Substandard or worse are considered non-performing.

Read more: Understanding Non-Performing Loan