柬埔寨微型貸款金融機構Amret執行長Dinn Dos於2024年12月初致函「CSR@天下」指出，該公司注意到，2024年6月19日「CSR＠天下」網站的一篇文章，重述兩個柬埔寨民間社會組織向國際金融公司（IFC）合規顧問專員（CAO）提出對Amret的投訴。Amret對此事作出下文回應，本站基於新聞平衡原則，全文刊登，供讀者參考。
2024年6月19日，「CSR＠天下」刊登了Equitable Cambodia 及 Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights（LICADHO）兩家柬埔寨民間組織向國際金融公司（IFC）合規顧問專員辦公室（CAO）提交的投訴。該投訴涉及六家柬埔寨微型金融機構的貸款業務流程，指稱其存在爭議和人權相關的議題。
（你可能想知道：柬埔寨微貸銀行Amret正遭申訴與調查 永豐銀的國際併購可能存在什麼人權議題風險？）
儘管該投訴並未具體列舉和Amret直接相關的事證，但針對《天下雜誌》文章中所做的推論，Amret強烈否認這些投訴，並捍衛其為柬埔寨個人、小型企業和當地社區經濟所做出的貢獻。
Amret遭投訴後已進行相關調查
Amret是一家微型金融機構，由非政府組織於1991年成立，目的在為取得資源不易的農村社區提供金融服務。30多年來，Amret一直致力實踐其願景：成為一家具卓越表現的金融機構，改善人民生活水平，並為柬埔寨的經濟和社會發展做出貢獻。Amret推廣自給自足和可持續發展的承諾，得到來自股東們的支持，包含世界銀行集團的私營部門投資部（IFC）、由荷蘭政府控股的發展銀行FMO，以及國際微型金融機構Advans，這些股東們明確要求Amret必須達成並維持最高的風險管理和消費者保護標準。
Amret重視持續評估和改進的文化，以維持其在柬埔寨市場上被公認為最投入社會責任之金融機構的地位。在 LICADHO 最初的投訴之後，Amret於2021年6月對其客戶保護政策、流程和做法進行了內部調查。CAO受理投訴後，於2022年5月進行了第二次調查。兩次調查均未發現任何不當行為的證據。
股東 FMO 隨後聘請了外部顧問 Daniel Rozas，他是公認的柬埔寨微型金融行業專家，在針對 Amret 的業務流程和 FMO 提供給 Amret 的次級貸款進行調查，結果仍未發現任何不當行為的證據，但確定了幾個需要改進的方向。
這促成了多項客戶保護措施的強化，包括增加員工培訓、成立專門的客戶投訴熱線，以及任命一位客戶保護原則（CPP）協調員。這些改革受到了 Amret 領導層的重視，並視其為進一步提升 Amret 成為市場領導品牌的機會。
Amret 對 CAO 投訴的回應
關於 CAO 的投訴，Amret 針對四個關鍵點進行說明。前兩點涉及對貸款爭議的投訴，第三和第四點涉及人權相關的投訴。
投訴一：客戶聲稱未能獲得充分的訊息，並使用他們能理解的語言，來說明所簽訂的貸款協議條款
根據最近的獨立分析發現，96% 的 Amret 客戶表示他們理解貸款協議中的關鍵條款和條件（根據 60Decibels的研究），這已明顯優於全球基準。難以全面理解貸款合約的問題其實廣泛存在，並不侷限於柬埔寨或者微型金融機構。在已開發市場的研究中，也發現了類似的問題。例如，35% 的英國借款人承認未能完全理解其貸款協議的條款（FCA 研究，2014 年）。
Amret 能夠獲得 96%客戶的肯定，主要為致力於公平對待客戶並確保資訊對稱，包括提供簡潔的貸款合約，並確保貸款協議均在自願的基礎上簽訂。從申請貸款、簽訂貸款合約到撥貸，產品特點和貸款合約都會進行三次解釋，以及訓練員工用簡潔明瞭的方式解釋合約，以及何謂自願借貸和知悉同意。
投訴二：具威脅性的催收行為
處理無法履行還款承諾的客戶，對全球的金融機構都是既有存在的挑戰。Amret 一向以客戶保護為先，符合其股東對達成並維持最高風險管理和客戶保護標準的承諾。
Amret 於 2016 年獲得全球 Smart Campaign 的客戶保護認證，更於 2023 年 2 月在認證計劃和標準轉移到 Cerise+SPTF 後，榮獲金牌級別，Amret 更是柬埔寨僅有三家獲得金牌級別認證的金融機構之一。
Amret 建立了健全的申訴解決流程，並由董事會轄下的投訴委員會負全責，客戶可透過分行、電話或使用 Amret 的 Facebook 頁面提交投訴，關於員工不當行為或在貸款回收過程中有攻擊行為的投訴，將轉交給風險或內部審計團隊進行調查。如果發現員工違反了行為準則或貸款回收流程，將根據案件的嚴重程度，執行最終警告、降職甚至解僱。員工如有違法行為，Amret 必定與執法部門充分合作。Amret 完全遵守柬埔寨國家銀行（NBC）規定的 「消費者投訴解決」 的 Prakas（官方公告），及時並定期向 NBC報告，NBC 至今未發現任何重大控制缺失或不合規的情況。
客戶保護措施也包含貸款回收程序，所有信貸人員和貸款回收員都定期接受培訓。除了員工的行為和道德準則外，Amret 還有一份關於債權回收的行為準則，規定了信貸人員和貸款回收員與客戶互動的標準和期望，要取得客戶的土地權需由專責總部團隊批准，以確保遵循正確的流程。
Amret 透過一系列機制來預防財務困境並解決借款人的困難，貸款決策應基於客戶的實際收入和還款能力，透過嚴格的風險評估來確保貸款對客戶來說是合理的負擔。在評估抵押品時採用保守的評估方法，以最大限度降低土地價格波動的風險，並防止借款人因不切實際的期望而過度負擔。此外，提供客製化的貸款重組選項，為面臨極端困難的客戶減免債務，並支持受天災或經濟衰退影響的客戶。
投訴三：將土地作為抵押品
如上所述，Amret 已建立流程來預防財務困境，並在發生違約時，能同理並支持遭受困難的客戶。貸款回收程序目的在與客戶合作，找到可持續的解決方案，以避免加劇其財務困難。
Amret 針對 LICADHO 提出的投訴進行調查並發現，在 LICADHO 報告列出的 14 個社區中，Amret 只有在其中的五個社區運營，擁有 495 名客戶，而在這些客戶中，只有兩名出售了他們的土地，且都是在未被 Amret 施壓的情況下自願進行，在列出的社區中，其餘 493 名客戶，Amret 並未透過上述管道收到任何關於土地出售或抵押品的投訴。
此外值得注意的是，將土地做為擔保品是全球金融機構的常見做法。IMF和世界銀行強調，房地產抵押品是金融市場的重要組成部分，並鼓勵新興市場發展健全的產權系統，以促進有擔保貸款和經濟發展。使用土地作為抵押品，不僅提高了借款人獲得貸款的能力，並使借款人用比無擔保信貸更低的成本進行借款。Amret 的平均貸款利率約為 14%（截至 2023 年），在全球微型金融機構中屬於最低水平。無法執行抵押品機制將削弱抵押品本身的價值，並導致借款人承擔更高的成本。
投訴四：童工
作為一家負責任的金融機構，Amret 絕不縱容任用童工，並相信微型金融機構可以在支持兒童教育機會方面發揮關鍵作用，此信念也得到數據的支持。根據 60Decibels 的報告發現，Amret 的貸款對借款人子女的教育機會帶來正面的效益，包含 72% 的人增加了教育支出、27% 的人在教育支出上沒有變化、只有 1% 的人教育支出減少。
柬埔寨的發展史也是一個重要的考慮因素。入學的兒童增加數量與同一時期信貸量的增加趨勢吻合：目前有 57% 的兒童就讀國中，33% 就讀高中3。根據國家統計局的估計，2021 年 5-17 歲的兒童中有 17% 在工作，這比 2012 年的 23.6% 有所改善。
童工減少的趨勢與信貸量增加、家庭收入的增長相吻合，這可能使更多的兒童得以留在學校。
儘管 Amret 在其貸款政策中對童工有多項排除規定，但鑑於童工在柬埔寨是普遍性的問題，可能仍會出現 Amret 借款人的子女在工作的情況。Amret 提供金融教學計劃，幫助家庭成員能負起管理財務的責任，從而減少對童工等有害做法的依賴。若發現這類情況時，將根據案件的具體情況，與客戶採取適當的補救措施。
Amret 認為，這些外界對柬埔寨微型金融機構提出的疑慮，並未真實反應 Amret 的貸款實務。Amret 一直在合法的範圍內運營，堅持實踐其股東要求的道德標準，並在柬埔寨的經濟發展中發揮著關鍵作用。Amret 認為，投訴中所說的各種現象更可能是更廣泛的經濟壓力的結果，而非系統性的機構不當行為。
在像 Amret 這樣擁有超過 4,600 名員工、為超過 60 萬名客戶提供服務的大型金融機構中，儘管 Amret 制定了廣泛的控制和政策，但有時仍可能會發生錯誤。Amret 的管理階層有把握，能迅速依照公司政策和程序來處理這種單一事件，致力於達成並維持誠信和負責的最高標準。
以下也提供Amret英文來函原件：
The CSR@CommonWealth article of 19 June 2024 repeats allegations made by two Cambodian civil society organisations in a complaint submitted to IFC’s (International Finance Corporation) Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO).
The complaint relates to the lending practices of six Cambodian microfinance institutions, alleging predatory lending and human rights violations.
Whilst the complaint does not outline any specific allegations against Amret, in light of the inferences made in the CSR@CommonWealth article, Amret wishes to strongly refute the accusations and defend its record of economic empowerment for Cambodian individuals, small businesses and local communities.
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About Amret
Amret is a microfinance organisation established by non-government organisations in 1991 to extend financial services to underserved rural communities.
For over 30 years Amret has remained committed to its vision: To be an outstanding financial institution that improves the living standards of the population and contributes to the economic and social development of Cambodia.
Amret’s commitment to promote self-sufficiency and sustainable development is reinforced by Amret’s shareholders: the Private Sector Investment Division of the World Bank Group (IFC), development bank FMO (majority owned by the Dutch state), and an international microfinance group (Advans).
A stated requirement of these shareholders is that Amret achieves and maintains the highest standards of risk management and consumer protection.
Amret values a culture of continuous evaluation and improvement to maintain its widely regarded position as one of the most socially committed financial organisations in the Cambodian market.
Following LICADHO’s initial complaint, Amret conducted an internal investigation of its Client Protection policies, processes and practices in June 2021. A second investigation was conducted after the CAO complaint in May 2022. Both investigations found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Shareholder FMO then enlisted external consultant, Daniel Rozas, a recognized Cambodia microfinance industry expert, to review Amret’s practices and the FMO subordinated loan to Amret. His review also found no evidence of wrongdoing but identified several areas for improvement.
This led to the enhancement of several customer protection measures, including additional staff training, a dedicated customer complaint hotline, and the appointment of a CPP Co-ordinator (CPP stands for Client Protection Principles).
These updates have been welcomed by Amret leadership as an opportunity to further enhance Amret’s market-leading best practices.
Amret’s response to the CAO complaint
In terms of the CAO complaint, there are four key areas Amret wishes to address. The first andsecond points relate to the accusations of predatory lending and the third and fourth points relate to the accusations of human rights violations.
1. Complaint: They allege that they have not been provided sufficient information, in language that is understandable to them, to fully grasp the conditions of the loan agreements into which they entered
- A recently conducted independent analysis found that 96% of Amret clients say they understand key terms and conditions of their loan agreement (60Db study5).
- This is significantly better than global benchmarks. Fully grasping the conditions of a loan contract is a challenge that extends beyond Cambodia and the microfinance industry.
Studies in developed markets have found similar issues, for example 35% of UK borrowers admitted to not fully understanding the terms of their loan agreements (FCA study, 20146). - Amret’s strong performance on this issue reflects its commitment to transparency with clients as part of its Client Protection Principles, and includes:
- Amret provides simplified loan contracts for customers and all loan agreements are entered into voluntarily. Explanation of product features and the loan contract occurs three times during the onboarding process: during a loan request, during the loan contract, and during the loan disbursement
- Amret provides training for staff on plain explanations of the contracts, voluntary borrowing, and informed consent.
2. Complaint: Threatening collection actions
- Dealing with clients who are unable, or sometimes unwilling, to meet their repayment commitments is inherently challenging for financial institutions globally.
- Amret prioritises customer protection in line with its international shareholders’ commitment to uphold and consistently meet the highest standards for risk management and client protection.
- Amret received certification in Client Protection by the global Smart Campaign in 2016 and achieved Gold status in February 2023 after the certification program and standards were transitioned to Cerise+SPTF.
- Amret is one of only three financial institutions in Cambodia awarded Gold status. - Client protection is integrated into loan recovery procedures and regular training is provided to all Credit Officers and Loan Recovery Officers.
- In addition to a Code of Conduct & Ethics for all staff, Amret also has a Recovery Code of Conduct which steps out standards and expectations for interactions with clients by Credit Officers and Loan Recovery Officers.
- Requests for withdrawal of a land title require approval from a dedicated head office team, which helps ensure that correct processes are followed. - Amret has a range of mechanisms in place to prevent financial distress and address borrower hardship.
- Lending decisions are based on clients' realistic income and repayment capacity, with rigorous risk assessment ensuring loans are manageable for clients.
- Amret applies conservative appraisal practices when assessing collateral in order to minimize risks from fluctuating land prices and prevent borrowers from being overburdened by unrealistic expectations.
- Amret offers tailored loan restructuring options, debt cancellation for clients facing extreme hardship, and support for those impacted by natural disasters or economic downturns. - Amret has robust grievance resolution processes in place, which include ultimate responsibility with the Complaint Committee at Board level.
- Clients can submit complaints in-person at a branch, via the phone, or using the Amret Facebook page.
- Complaints about staff misconduct or aggressive behavior during a recovery process are referred to the Risk or Internal Audit teams for investigation.
- If the staff member is found to be in breach of these Codes of Conduct or approved recovery processes, the disciplinary action ranges from last warming or demotion to termination, according to the severity of the case. In instances of illegal conduct, Amret’s policy is to cooperate fully with law enforcement.
- Amret is fully compliant with the Prakas (an official proclamation) on the “Resolution of Consumer Complaints” as regulated by the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC). Timely and regular reporting to the NBC is required and no material control lapses or non-compliance has been identified by the NBC.
3. Complaint: Taking land as collateral
- As detailed above, Amret has processes in place to both prevent financial distress and, in the event of default, to sensitively support clients experiencing hardship. Loan recovery procedures are designed to engage with clients to find sustainable solutions together that avoid exacerbating financial difficulties.
- The Amret investigation into the allegations made by LICADHO found:
- Of the 14 communities listed in LICADHO’s report, Amret operates in only five of them with 495 clients.
- Of these 495 clients, only two had sold their land. Both clients did so willingly under no pressure from Amret.
- There were no issues with any of the other 493 Amret clients in the listed communities.
- Amret has not received any complaints from clients, across any of the communities in which it operates, relating to the sale of land or collateral through the complaint mechanisms referred to above. - Furthermore, it is important to note that land being used as security is standard practice for financial institutions globally.
- he IMF and the World Bank highlight real estate collateral as critical components of financial markets, and encourage emerging markets to develop robust property rights and title systems to facilitate secured lending and economic development.
- Using land as collateral enhances access to credit for borrowers, and typically allows them to do so at much lower cost than via unsecured credit. Amret’s average lending rate of approximately 14% (as of 2023) is amongst the lowest globally in the MFI sector.
- Not being able to enforce collateral would take away the value of having that collateral in the first place, and would result in significantly higher costs for borrowers.
4. Complaint: Child Labor
- As a responsible financial institution, Amret does not support or condone Child Labor practices, and believes that the MFI sector can play a key role in supporting educational opportunities for children. This is supported by the data:
- The 60Db report7 found Amret’s lending had a positive impact on the educational opportunities for children of Amret borrowers:
- 72% had increased their spending on education
- 27% had no change in spending on education
- only 1% reported a decrease in spending on education - The history of Cambodia’s development is also an important consideration. The number of children enrolled in school has increased, coinciding with greater access to credit over that same period:
- Nowadays 57% of children are enrolled in lower secondary school, and 33% in upper secondary school.
- It was estimated by the National Institute of Statistics that 17% of children between the ages of 5-17 were working in 2021, which is an improvement from 2012 when 23.6% were working.
- This reduction corresponds with greater access to credit and subsequent growth in household incomes, which likely has allowed more children to remain in school. - While Amret has a number of exclusions around child labor in its lending policies, there may be instances where children of Amret borrowers are working, given how prevalent the practice is in Cambodia.
- Amret provides financial literacy programs aimed at helping families manage their finances responsibly, thereby reducing reliance on harmful practices such as child labor.
- When identified, appropriate remedial action, as determined by the circumstances of the case, is undertaken with the client.
In summary
Amret believes that the concerns raised regarding Cambodia's microfinance sector are not reflective of Amret’s lending practices. Amret operates responsibly within the regulatory framework, upholds ethical practices that align with global standards as requested by its international shareholders, and plays a crucial role in Cambodia’s economic development. Amret believes the challenges highlighted in the complaint are more likely the result of broader economic pressures, not systemic institutional misconduct.
In a large financial institution like Amret, with over 4,600 staff serving over 600,000 customers,mistakes may sometimes happen despite the extensive controls and policies Amret has in place. The management of Amret is confident that any such examples are isolated incidents, which are promptly addressed in accordance with company policies and procedures, underscoring Amret's commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and accountability.