Economy and commerce
Banking and financial services
2nd phase of business registration system up
The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) on September 1 deployed Phase II of its online business registration platform, known as the “Single Portal”. ...
Thou Vireak
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/2nd-phase-business-registration-system
Bakong-powered transactions soar
Digital payments are becoming crucial to the management of daily expenses, especially during Covid-19 when social distancing is the norm, according to National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) director-general Chea Serey. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/bakong-powered-transactions-soar
NBC, Maybank launch fund transfers
Cambodia and Malaysia on August 11 officially launched cross-border payments through the National Bank of Cambodia’s (NBC) Bakong system with Maybank, enabling faster and more convenient real-time money transfer between the two countries. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/nbc-maybank-launch-fund-transfers
Requests for loans drop 34% in Apr-Jun
Applications for loans in the financial sector continued to drop in the second quarter of this year over concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak and economic repercussions of the ensuing health crisis, according to a new report. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/requests-loans-drop-34-apr-jun
FDI inflows drop 1% to $3.5B
The value of foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Kingdom registered a slight fall in 2020 amid a much sharper contraction among non-banking sectors and uncertainty over the evolution of the Covid-19 pandemic, but inflows into the financial sector remained strong. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/fdi-inflows-drop-1-35b
CMA: Loan restructures increasing
Restructured loans at member institutions of the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) totalled about $1.5 billion as of April, according to the organisation. ...
Brian Badzmierowski
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50859588/cma-loan-restructures-increasing/
NBC: Fintech fuels 2020 boom in Kingdom's payment systems
Payment systems in Cambodia have seen remarkable strides in line with the evolution of financial technology (fintech) and significantly contribute to the development of the national economy, as digital transactions witness a Covid-19 boom, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) said in the 2020 annual ...
Thou Vireak
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/nbc-fintech-fuels-2020-boom-kingdoms-payment-systems
Microfinance body calls for more lending
Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) on April 27 urged its members to release more credit to customers as the spread of Covid-19, exacerbated by the February 20 community transmission is having a huge impact on all businesses, especially in Phnom Penh and Takmao town. ...
Hin Pisei
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/microfinance-body-calls-more-lending
Bank, MFIs operations go on despite lockdown
The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and the Cambodian Microfinance Association (CMA) on April 23 informed the public that business operations in the industry are continuing as normal nationwide although some areas in the provinces and capital have been placed in lockdown to curb ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/bank-mfis-operations-go-despite-lockdown
Financial institutions see jump in lockdown-era digital transactions
Financial institutions (FI) logged a sudden spike in digital transactions during lockdown, adding further to the upward momentum fuelled by rising fears triggered by a spike in new Covid-19 cases found in connection to the February 20 community transmission. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/financial-institutions-see-jump-lockdown-era-digital-transactions
Bakong top in digital currency index
Cambodia’s digital retail ecosystem was ranked first in Asia and second globally in the PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) inaugural Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Global Index. ...
Husain Haider
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50842250/bakong-top-in-digital-currency-index/
Banks talk about relief to farmers
The chief executive officer of the Agricultural Rural Development Bank (ARDB) and the president of ACLEDA Bank met to discuss the possibility of a joint-lending programme that would extend support to farmers in the country. ...
Brian Badzmierowski
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50835722/banks-talk-about-relief-to-farmers/
ABC, CMA set out six debt relief measures
The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC) and Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) on April 7 ordered members to adopt six measures of financial relief in light of the economic fallout and depressed incomes caused by the February 20 community transmission of Covid-19. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/abc-cma-set-out-six-debt-relief-measures
Annual reports show three pictures of financial sector’s 2020
Three prominent financial houses – Hattha Bank Plc, PRASAC Microfinance Institution (MFI) Plc and PPCBank Plc – released their annual financial reports and, in so doing, delivered a comprehensive look at how the sector in general fared over the course of pandemic-struck 2020. ...
Husain Haider and William Nygren
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50834597/annual-reports-show-three-pictures-of-financial-sectors-2020/
Over 100 CSOs call for debt relief
A coalition of 103 civil society organisations (CSOs) reiterated a call for the government to issue a set of guidelines for all financial institutions in Cambodia to suspend loan payments, set interest rates to zero per cent and waive accrued interest for at least three ...
Thou Vireak
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/over-100-csos-call-debt-relief
Banks need integrated automated payment system
Cambodian banks must integrate automated payment processing, according to Sabay Digital Corp’s co-founder Mike Gaertner. Its absence is a gaping hole in the Kingdom’s financial services. As a result, the Kingdom is notably left out of crucial consumer behaviour shaping the 21st century, including subscription ...
Husain Haider
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50831790/banks-need-integrated-automated-payment-system/
PPCBank pays coupon interest on second bond
South Korean-owned Phnom Penh Commercial Bank Plc (PPCBank) announced a first coupon payout to investors in its second bond despite unrest in the Cambodian economy fuelled by the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/ppcbank-pays-coupon-interest-second-bond
ARDB seeks $30M more for SME loans
Agriculture and Rural Development Bank of Cambodia (ARDB) expects to receive an additional $30 million from the government for special-purpose loans to keep the Kingdom’s smaller businesses afloat amid the ongoing economic duress of Covid-19, according to the state-owned bank’s director-general Kao Thach. ...
Thou Vireak
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/ardb-seeks-30m-more-sme-loans
‘Allied action required for digital shift’
Cambodia continues to face a multitude of challenges as digital payments and solutions graduate from a niche business to a key segment in the Kingdom’s development strategy, according to National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) assistant governor Chea Serey on March 17. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/allied-action-required-digital-shift
NBC’s director-general: Promoting financial inclusion
During an interview with CoinDesk’s online web show, “Money Re-imagined”, the Director-General and Assistant Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) Chea Serey explained how the central bank is working towards financial inclusion by encouraging the opening of formal savings accounts. ...
Sok Chan
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50825873/nbcs-director-general-promoting-financial-inclusion/
IFC may provide ACLEDA $200 mn to help female entrepreneurs and SMEs
ACLEDA Bank Plc has proposed a five-year, $200 million blended finance investment from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), disclosure documents reveal. ...
Husain Haider
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50825874/ifc-may-provide-acleda-200-mn-to-help-female-entrepreneurs-and-smes/
Visa profiles survival strategies of small businesses during pandemic
According to a new think-piece released by Visa, small businesses have demonstrated their resilience by adapting quickly to the impact of COVID-19. ...
Khmer Times Staff
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50824887/visa-profiles-survival-strategies-of-small-businesses-during-pandemic/
CMA members restructure $1.4B in loans
Financial institutions that are members of the Cambodia Microfinance Association (CMA) restructured some $1.397 billion in loans for 289,422 borrowers as of February 28 since the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) on March 27 issued a circular on loan restructuring during Covid-19, according to CMA. ...
May Kunmakara
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cma-members-restructure-14b-loans
South Korean bank invests in Kingdom
The embassy of Cambodia to the Republic of Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DGB Bank to provide cooperation in promoting investment in Cambodia as well as protection for Cambodians in South Korea. ...
Sok Chan
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50818388/south-korean-bank-invests-in-kingdom/