Early Warning Indicators of a Loan Default Crisis

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) operating in Cambodia experienced greater strain as the 2008 financial crisis deepened. At the onset the financial crisis, MFIs experienced unprecedented high Portfolio at Risk Ratios (PAR) and increasing loan default rates. MFIs in the country blamed these troubles on the economic slowdown attributed to the financial crisis and the lack of a credit bureau. The book analyses the trends of the major indicators of a loan default (PAR, Write-Off Ratio, Loan Loss Ratio etc) for the periods just before, during and after the 2008 financial crisis. These indicators can be used to evaluate an emerging or already existing loan default crisis in the Cambodian or any other country's Microfinance (MF) sector. The book further analyses the level of market saturation in the Cambodian MF sector. Finally, the book gives recommendations on how to manage the increasing loan default indicators and how to deal with increasing market saturation level in the Cambodian MF sector. This book is therefore recommended to anyone who is interested in academic research in the area of Microfinance, as well as for loan portfolio managers in MFIs.