"Indigenous Communities, CSOs Urge World Bank to Reconsider CAO’s Findings", 10 August 2026

… The groups, who made the call in conjunction with International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, said rising household debt has seen families reducing food consumption, children missing educational opportunities and people migrating for work to repay loans. They also said debt has made it harder for Indigenous communities to participate in cultural ceremonies and maintain traditional practices.

The groups are particularly concerned about the use of Indigenous land as collateral for loans. They said banks and microfinance institutions have provided loans secured by land that overlaps Indigenous territories, potentially contributing to land sales and making it more difficult for communities to obtain collective land titles.

A … report by the CAO stated that they received a complaint from two nongovernmental organizations, Licadho and Equitable Cambodia, on behalf of 18 borrowers who had taken loans from one or more of six financial institutions.

The complaint highlighted concerns about the social impacts of lending and debt-collection practices by the six financial institutions and banks.

The complainants alleged that their families and communities suffered from harm because of lending and debt-collection practices by microfinance institutions and commercial banks, and that they had been pressured to sell their assets to repay loans.

… Kaing Tongngy, spokesperson for the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA), said the banking and financial sector has introduced additional regulations to ensure responsible lending to customers.

… The CSOs and communities said in the statement that the World Bank Group can only claim to respect the rights of Indigenous communities in Cambodia if they accept the CAO’s findings and implement its recommendations…

A World Bank Group spokesperson responding … said that the 18 complainants like many other microfinance borrowers often face complex situations of economic hardship.

“We believe the gaps these complaints reveal—in regulation, education and responsible finance—can be addressed through strong regulatory oversight and coordinated action, and we have invested in those solutions,” the spokesperson said…