LATEST

Statement | Most MFI Complainants Refuse to Engage after IFC Rejects Accountability

26 August 2026

Only two of the 18 complainants who filed a case against the World Bank's International Finance Corporation (IFC) over their investments in Cambodian microfinance institutions have opted to engage with the IFC's informal plan to address their concerns. The other 16 complainants, including the wife of one complainant who died during the process, declined to engage further given lasting concerns about the IFC's integrity after it rejected its own accountability mechanism's findings. The 16 complainants who declined to participate further includes all of the Indigenous complainants.

"It is disappointing but not surprising that complainants no longer trust the IFC to handle this case, given it so publicly demonstrated its disregard for independent oversight and accountability," said Naly Pilorge, outreach director of LICADHO. "The IFC's disastrous decision means that most complainants will not receive any form of remedy, a sad conclusion to a wholly shameful affair for the World Bank."

RESEARCH

Bound by Bricks: An Opportunity to End Debt Bondage and Child Labour in Cambodia

Debt Threats: A Quantitative Study of Microloan Borrowers in Cambodia

Status Update: Harassment on Social Media in Cambodia

Right to Relief: Indebted Land Communities in Cambodia Speak Out