By Daniel Rozas (Sr. Microfinance Expert at e-MFP ― Independent Consultant)

organized by the Centre for European Research in Microfinance

Abstract:

Market crises don’t always arrive unexpectedly. Yet even in cases where a significant number of actors are aware of the warning signs, too often they feel powerless to take the necessary steps to avoid them, of if they do, those steps prove insufficient or impossible to implement. When regulators may not be able or willing to step in, is there anything a sector can do on its own to avoid going over the proverbial cliff? Over the past year, the Cambodian microfinance market has been trying to answer that question by implementing a set of lending guidelines to avoid overindebtedness and more broadly, to limit the risk of market overheating and veering into a crisis. This lecture will look at the Cambodian experiment in self-regulation, and what makes it different and perhaps more likely to succeed where others have failed.