PlaNet Finance: A New Microfinance Loan in Cambodia and Vietnam.

Abstract

In November 2012, Jay Supetran was on a visit to Vietnam and Cambodia to study the impact of a last-stage microfinance project in the agricultural sector. For the past two years he had been working as Regional Coordinator in both countries for French microfinance advisor PlaNet Finance (PF). The project, titled FinInc Asia, was aimed at improving financial inclusion and social impact regarding food security in the region. Specifically, PF was keen to tackle the lack of a relevant financial product for vulnerable farmers in Vietnam and Cambodia. PF worked closely with a few local microfinance institutions (MFIs) to design a new financial product, the ‘Agri-Microfinance’ (AMF) loan. The purpose of the loan and the repayment schedule were to better fit the needs of farmers. As a first step, only a few MFIs were selected by PF to conduct a pilot test for AMF under FinInc Asia. In the pilot test, the Cambodian MFI, Thaneakea Phum Cambodia (TPC) was performing well, whereas the Vietnamese MFI, Thanh Hoa Fund (THF) had barely started to develop its offering in the countryside…