The Opportunity & Vision
Cambodia's missing middle, and the journey that closes it
Women run the majority of Cambodia's businesses, but almost none of them cross from micro-enterprise into the SME tier. This page is for donors, partners, and government stakeholders as much as for users — it explains the market gap and Neary's long-term direction.
The missing middle
No platform in Cambodia currently connects business registration, guarantee-eligibility screening, and lender matching as one journey. Without it, everyday business activity rarely turns into a finance-ready, growing business.
Informal activity
Daily sales and expenses happen every day, but mostly off the books.
Weak records
No consistent record a bank, landlord, or supplier can rely on.
Limited digital history
Most transactions never touch a bank account or a digital ledger.
Low finance readiness
Without records or digital history, standard underwriting has nothing to score.
Missed growth
The business stalls at the micro tier instead of crossing into the SME tier.
62% → 26%
Women-owned share of micro-enterprises vs. the SME tier — the missing middle
41%
Women-owned SMEs formally registered, against 45% of men-owned
US$4.2B
Estimated unmet financing demand for women-owned MSMEs
The Vision: a six-step journey
One enablement layer built on Cambodia's existing rails — banks, KHQR/Bakong, CGCC, and financial-literacy programmes. Not a new banking platform.
Step 1
Learn
Build skills and business knowledge
Bite-sized, 6–8 minute lessons delivered at the decision point, in Khmer — not a separate library.
Step 2
Record
Capture daily business activity
Every sale and expense recorded by hand or automatically through KHQR, building a real history.
Step 3
Formalize
Build a registered, compliant business
A guided, document-by-document path through the MoC Single Portal — the platform's highest-leverage step.
Step 4
Connect
Join networks and partnerships
A verified mentor and a network of Award-to-Reward partner programmes built for women entrepreneurs.
Step 5
Finance
Access financial tools and capital
A Finance Readiness score and referral to CGCC and partner banks/MFIs, who make the lending decision.
Step 6
Grow
Scale operations and impact
A visible growth score and a clear, ranked next action, so momentum compounds instead of stalling out.
Share the opportunity with your team
A one-page summary of the missing-middle problem, the six-step Neary journey, and the value case for donors, PFIs, and government partners.