Liberia launched an enhanced collateral registry aimed at helping businesses secure loans against movable assets such as inventory, equipment, livestock and receivables, as the government seeks to expand private-sector investment and job creation.
The system is designed to give lenders greater confidence to accept assets beyond land and buildings as collateral, according to Georgia Wallen, country manager for the World Bank Group in Liberia.
The reform is expected to particularly benefit micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, which account for much of the country’s business activity but often struggle to obtain credit.
“Today is about expanding opportunity for Liberian businesses and helping more entrepreneurs gain vital access to the financing they need to grow,” Wallen said in remarks at the registry’s official launch in Monrovia on Aug. 27.
Liberian businesses have long cited access to finance as one of their biggest constraints. Many entrepreneurs lack traditional collateral, despite owning productive assets that could support borrowing.
The Central Bank of Liberia, with support from the International Finance Corp. and funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, launched the country’s original collateral registry in 2014. It facilitated more than $237 million in financing during its first two years, with women accounting for more than half of borrowers, Wallen said.
The system’s impact later weakened because of technical, operational and market constraints. The upgraded registry is intended to address those shortcomings by supporting lending against both movable and immovable assets, improving reliability and availability, and enabling connections with other registries and databases.
The initiative is being supported through the World Bank’s Liberia Investment Finance and Trade Project, known as LIFT, alongside IFC technical assistance. It forms part of broader secured-transactions reforms linked to Liberia’s Vision 2030 and the government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
New regulations adopted in 2026 establish requirements for registering, amending and discharging financing statements, as well as responsibilities for borrowers and lenders. The reforms are intended to make collateral-based lending more transparent and give financial institutions better tools to manage risk.
The Central Bank, the Banking Institute of Liberia and IFC also plan to begin specialized training on financing secured by movable and immovable assets in the first week of September. A nationwide awareness campaign will target businesses, lenders and other market participants.
The government and central bank are separately working to deploy a credit-reporting system with support from the LIFT Project. Together, the registry, credit reporting and regulatory reforms are expected to help lenders make better-informed decisions and extend financing to more businesses.
The reforms will only deliver results if banks adopt the system and companies understand how to use it, Wallen said. Regulators, courts and other institutions will also need to ensure that the registry remains trusted and effective.
“Ultimately, the Enhanced Collateral Registry is more than a database,” Wallen said. “It is part of a broader effort to create economic opportunity, support entrepreneurship, and enable businesses to invest, create jobs, and contribute to Liberia’s growth.”
