Cambodia's microfinance sector hit by predatory lending claims

Debtor suicides, forced land sales among accusations against industry

20231102 Cambodia Daily life

A street scene in Phnom Penh. Cambodia has one of the biggest microfinance sectors in the world.  © AP

JACK BROOK, Contributing writer

PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia's microfinance sector was supposed to be an engine for small business growth and help lift millions out of poverty.

That promise drew money from European development banks and the International Finance Corp. (IFC), the World Bank's private lending arm, supplying funds critical to boosting access to credit in one Asia's most impoverished countries.

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