First Finance Plc was a joint venture company established between Cambodia-based First Home Plc, Singapore-based Phillip Capital, Luxembourg-based Insitor Fund, Cambodia-Laos Development Fund, and Norway-based Norfund. The Company was taken over 100 percent by local shareholder in June 2022.
First Finance Plc obtained its license on 23 April 2009 from the National Bank of Cambodia and became the first financial institution to specialize in affordable housing finance in Cambodia. The company is focused on providing long-term affordable housing finance such as Home Loans, Home Improvement Loans, and medium-term Home Equity Loans to underserved low and middle-income Cambodian households who have little-to-no access to formal housing financial services. Most commercial banks only offer services to wealthier Cambodians.
First Finance received the Gold Certificate (the highest level) for applying Client Protection Standards, following a new Client Protection Pathway from Cerise and SPTF. This certificate provides a clear picture of its social impact, commitment to client protection, and transparency.
General information
| Borrower | First Finance Plc |
| Country | Cambodia |
| Head office | Phnom Penh |
| Website | https://www.firstfinance.com.kh/ |
| Founded | 26 June 2008 |
| Active on Lendahand since | 12 August 2020 |
| Credit Score | B+ |
Financial information per 2023-09-30
| Portfolio Overview | €66,597,643 |
| Leverage ratio | 82.50% |
| Write-off ratio | 0.00% |
| % investment amount in arrears (>90 days) | 4.00% |
About Cambodia
Cambodia has had a lot to endure over the last century. Ongoing wars led to uncertainty offering many opportunities for corruption. In the last decade the situation in Cambodia has calmed down. Economic growth has resulted in a gradual improvement of the situation. Still, with an average income of 300 dollars per person per year, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The majority of the Cambodian economy is based on the agricultural sector. Agriculture and fishing have always been of great importance for the self-sufficiency and domestic trade of the country. Rice, cassava, rubber, corn and pepper are the most common crops.
Last funded project
CambodiaFirst Finance 14
With this investment of EUR 140,000 local partner First Finance in Cambodia can provide loans to support 13 families in Phnom Prek district to purchase land for their first home. **please note: this project contains an exchange rate risk EUR/USD)**