Amret Microfinance Institute had its beginning in 1991 when a French NGO piloted a credit project, seeking to test the possibilities of microcredit for the low-income and rural population in Cambodia. During its first years, the political environment was still unstable, and the underdeveloped road infrastructure created difficulties in physically reaching most of the population, particularly during the rainy season – a challenge still existing today albeit to a lesser extent. In 2001, Amret obtained the first microfinance institution license in Cambodia, followed by the license to collect deposits in 2009, soon after the respective legislation was introduced in Cambodia. This not only allowed Amret to offer its clients the possibility to save formally, but also increased its local credit supply. Amret currently has 400,000 clients (both depositors and borrowers) – served by 156 branches in all 25 provinces – and is targeting to reach 450,000 by the end of 2018.