(/ˌeɪsiːˈliːdə/; Khmer: ធនាគារ អេស៊ីលីដា ភីអិលស៊ី, Thônéakéar Ésilida Phi'ĕlsi) is a public limited company, formed under the Banking and Financial Institutions Law of the Kingdom of Cambodia.
With the ILO and UNDP as godparents, ACLEDA was established in January 1993, as a national NGO for micro and small enterprise development and credit by a group of founders listed below.
From its earliest days, it enjoyed the support of a number of major international development agencies whose contributions are gratefully acknowledged in ACLEDA's 'Roll of Honour'.
Two factors, namely the expansion of its network to cover all of Cambodia's provinces and towns and its ability to operate at a profit to ensure its sustainability, led both its board and international partners to conclude that it should be transformed into a commercial bank.
This would not only provide a secure regulatory framework lacking under its previous status but would also enable it to enlarge its range of funding options (e.g., equity injection, taking public deposits, obtaining commercial interbank loans) to support the expansion of its core micro-finance business.
With assistance from USAID, MPDF/IFC and UNDP—to name a few—a three-year program for transformation commenced in 1998 which culminated in the granting of a specialized banking license in October 2000.
Under the process, the original NGO has transferred its assets and on-lent its liabilities (long-term loans from donors) to the new ACLEDA Bank.
is 51% owned by Cambodian interests, including its staff, with the remaining 49% taken up in equal parts by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, COFIBRED (Compagnie Financière de la BRED — a BRED Banque Populaire's fully owned subsidiary), ORIX Corporation, and the three investment funds (Triodos-Doen Foundation, Triodos Fair Share Fund, and Triodos Microfinance Fund) managed by Triodos Investment Management.