By B2B Asia News on May, 08 2026

CBC Releases Small Business Credit Index Report for Q1 of 2026./Image credit: CBC.

The Credit Bureau of Cambodia (CBC) published its ‘Small Business Credit Index Report’ for Q1 of 2026 on May 7, showing trends and indicators on small business loans in Cambodia. According to the report, Small Business Credit Performance dropped for the number of loan accounts, while loan balance recorded positive growth. 

Compared to the previous quarter, Small Business Credit Application enquiries increased, while the enquiry amount decreased. Loan quality, as measured by 90+ DPD (Days Past Due), performed lower than the previous quarter, as the share of 90+ DPD balance remained the same across regions.

“The demand in Q1 2026 for Small Business Credit in this quarter, in terms of the number of applications, increased, while the amount of applications contracted by 5.1 per cent, compared to the previous quarter," noted Oeur Sothearoath, CEO of CBC. “Small Business Credit performance dropped by 1.5 per cent, in terms of numbers of loan accounts, while loan balance grew 0.9 per cent in this quarter.” 

Download and read the CBC's full report: Small Business Credit Index Q1 2026.

Key Highlights Of The CBC's Small Business Credit Index Q1 2026 Report

Small Business Credit Applications

Overall, credit enquiry quarter-on-quarter increased by 1.0 per cent. Credit enquiries dropped for Working Capital Applications (-3.4 per cent), Construction Applications (-18.5 per cent) and Others (-3.6 per cent). Meanwhile, credit enquiries increased for Agriculture (+18.2 per cent) and Asset Finance Applications (+3.8 per cent).

Small Business Credit Performance

The total number of loan accounts saw a drop by 1.5 per cent, bringing it to around 1.74 million accounts. Outstanding balance grew by 0.9 per cent to reach USD 37.44 billion by the end of the first quarter in 2026.

Small Business Credit Quality

90+DPD as a ratio of the total balance increased to 7.7 per cent. The majority of customers’ credit (69.7 per cent) remained committed to a single financial institution, and 55.3 per cent of customers held only a single account.

Small Business Credit Applications

According to the CBC, this metric represents the intention of consumers to acquire credit in the form of Working Capital, Agriculture, Asset Finance, Construction, and Others. 

In the first quarter of 2026, Small Business Credit Applications expanded overall at a rate of 0.1 per cent. 

• Working Capital Applications were down 3.4 per cent, with the largest decrease of 5.4 per cent observed in the Tonle Sap region. 
• Construction Applications dropped by 18.5 per cent, with the largest decrease of 23.4 per cent observed in the Plain region.
• Other Applications fell by 3.6 per cent, with the largest contraction seen in the Coastal region, by 23.4 per cent.
• Agriculture Applications, meanwhile, expanded by 18.2 per cent, with the largest increase observed in the Plateau region, by 73.5 per cent.
• Asset Finance Applications also rose by 3.8 per cent, with the largest increase of 16.9 per cent seen in the Plateau region.

The percentage change in the loan amounts sought through these five categories dropped by 5.1 per cent overall. This includes:

• Agriculture: -13.0 per cent
• Asset Finance: -12.7 per cent
• Construction: -6.0 per cent
• Working Capital: -4.2 per cent
• Others: -4.5 per cent

Small Business Credit Performance

This metric is described to indicate the volume of consumer loans as of the reporting quarter, reflecting an active credit market.

As of March 2026, the number of consumer loan accounts for Small Business Credit decreased by 1.5 per cent from the previous quarter, resulting in a total number of 1.74 million Small Business loan accounts throughout the country. Out of this number, 51.6 per cent comprised of Working Capital loan accounts, while a much smaller share was recorded for Construction loans (0.8 per cent), Agriculture loans (28.2 per cent), Asset Finance loans (5.3 per cent), and Other loans (14.1 per cent). 

This decrease was seen in all regions of the Kingdom (-1.5 per cent in the Tonle Sap region, -1.6 per cent in the Plain region, -1.9 per cent in the Plateau region, and -1.2 per cent in the Coastal region).

The consumer loan balance continued to rise, increasing 0.9 per cent, as of March 2026. By the end of the quarter, there was a total outstanding consumer loan balance of USD 37.44 billion. 

• Working Capital loan shares made up 51.6 per cent of total loan accounts, and 64.6 per cent of the total consumer outstanding loan balance.
• Agriculture loans accounted for 28.7 per cent of total loan accounts, and 10.2 per cent of the total outstanding loan balance. 
• Finance Asset loans accounted for 5.3 per cent of total loan accounts, and 8.0 per cent of the total outstanding loan balance. 
• Construction loans accounted for 0.9 per cent of total loan accounts, and 1.4 per cent of the total outstanding loan balance. 

Overall, there was a growth in balance in the Coastal region by 1.3 per cent and in the Plateau region by 1.1 per cent, while the balance dropped by -0.2 per cent in the Tonle Sap region, and by -1.1 per cent in the Plain region, compared to the previous quarter.

Small Business Credit Quality

According to the CBC, this metric is measured by taking the ratio of loan accounts with late repayments 90 days past their due date, indicated as 90+ DPD. It indicates creditworthiness and a risk of default within the reporting quarter.

The instance of 90+DPD was recorded at +7.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, higher than the previous quarter by 7.1 per cent. Among the five categories, Construction recorded the highest 90+DPD with a ratio of +10.2 per cent. The largest increase in 90+ DPD was seen in the Tonle Sap region (+10.4 per cent), followed by the Plateau region (+9.9 per cent), Coastal region (+8.5 per cent) and Plain region (+6.7 per cent).

Sixty-nine point seven per cent of all customers with credit accounts held them with only one financial institution. The remaining share of 30.3 per cent represented those that have relationships with multiple financial institutions.

The share of the number of customers holding only one loan account stood at 55.3 per cent; those holding two accounts made up 30.2 per cent; those holding three accounts made up 10.5 per cent; while those with more than three accounts only made up 4.0 per cent of the entire credit customer base.

This article was adapted from a supplied press release.