Lenders mull moveable assets
Cambodian financial intuitions should allow customers to use moveable assets as part of their collateral requirements to secure lines of credit, providing the government and lenders strengthen the legal framework for monitoring these assets, an economic researcher has argued. Speaking at the third annual macroeconomic conference held by the National Bank of Cambodia last Friday, Pen Vanndarong, an independent researcher and employee of microlender Hattha Kaksekar Ltd (HKL), said that if financial institutions adopted a moveable asset criteria, it would be easier for clients to access credit. Vanndarong, said lending institutions have for too long only focused on land or property as the sole collateral to secure loans. He urged that in order for the MFI sector to continue to grow, lenders should overhaul their strategy to allow moveable assets such as cars, motorbikes, agricultural machinery and crop stocks to be classified as collateral. This, he said, would be a major benefit for small- to medium-size enterprises that need quick access to capital to expand and invest.
