First Finance Microfinance Plc. received the Gold Certificate (the highest level) for applying Client Protection Standards, following a new Client Protection Pathway from Cerise and SPTF. Cerise and SPTF are international non-profit organizations that focus on Social Performance Management and Client Protection. These standards are (1) Appropriate products design and delivery (2) Prevention of over-indebtedness (3) Transparency (4) Responsible pricing (5) Fair and respectful treatment of clients (6) Mechanisms for complaint resolution (7) Privacy of client data. “It is critical to us, and our clients, that we provide the highest level of care and transparency. This certificate provides us with a clear picture of our social impact and commitment to client protection.

The National Bank of Cambodia granted First Finance its license on 23 April 2009, becoming the first financial institution to specialize in housing finance in Cambodia. Its focuses on providing long-term micro-housing loans to underserved low and middle-income Cambodian households who have little-to-no access to formal housing financial services. Clients earning less than $700 a month accounted for 40% of loans. The number of loans to self-employed accounted for 48.5% of the total portfolio in 2021.  Most of the clients are micro-entrepreneurs, such as street vendors, with no records, even when their income is similar to a salaried employee, they don’t have any evidence to prove their income to a bank. First Finance focuses on this invisible segment, helping families buy, build, and improve their first homes.