ASEAN+3 seeks consultants to build Cambodia’s bad-loan rulebook

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 AUGUST 2026 —

ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office launched a tender on Friday for consultants to draft Cambodia’s new asset-management rulebook, a move that could open a RM4 billion market for non-performing loans.

The National Bank of Cambodia said the framework will set capital rules, valuation standards and governance codes for firms that buy and sell distressed debt, aiming to clean up bank balance sheets and revive lending. A Bank Negara Malaysia source said Malaysian asset managers already manage RM4 billion of NPLs and could compete for advisory or licensing roles.

The three-year project covers prudential ratios, NPL transfer limits, accounting treatments and consumer-protection clauses, according to a job specification released by the AMRO Technical Assistance Program. Consultants must also draft training modules for NBC staff, with proposals due by August 28 2026.

The call follows Cambodia’s February 2026 prakas that created the legal basis for asset-management institutions, but left key details—such as risk-weighting formulas and out-of-court recovery tools—blank. A person familiar with the tender said the winning firm will likely shape Cambodia’s first-generation securitisation market.