Economic policy and administration

A total of 3,789 businesses were successfully registered on the Online Business Registration Platform, also known as the “Single Portal”, in the 125 days to October 17, bringing the cumulative figure to 18,465, according to the Online Business Registration Service, the competent government agency. ...

Uncertainty over business conditions and the impact of the spread of Covid-19 has prompted the Ministry of Commerce to postpone the issuing of fines until July for online business owners who are late to apply for e-commerce permits or licences. ...

Cambodian government’s special emergency loan scheme worth $100mn to aid SMEs and the agriculture sector in an aim to resuscitate the economy ...

The Ministry of Commerce has ordered all foreign enterprises, sole proprietorships, legal entities and branches of foreign companies that engage in the Cambodian e-commerce market to apply for the proper licences or permits by November 30, or face fines, closure, or other legal consequences. ...

Three major draft laws on trade are expected to take effect before the end of 2021, after receiving full support from National Assembly (NA) leaders and specialised committees, as well as the Senate, according to a Ministry of Commerce spokesman. ...

The government, with support from development partners, on June 28 launched the National Circular Economy Strategy and Action Plan, as well as an affiliated platform to engage the private sector in the Kingdom’s transition towards a circular economy. ...

Cambodia has launched its new 14-year plan on digital policy, saying the sector is a new model of economic growth, which can respond and keep pace with rapid changes in the economy as it recovers from the financial dip caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.​ ...

The Kingdom has officially announced the implementation of its “Digital Economy and Social Policy Framework of Cambodia 2021-2035” policy. It identifies the digital sector as a new model of economic growth responsive and resilient to changes in economic structure, development and international trade. ...

Cambodia, with support from the World Economic Forum (WEF), on May 12 launched the Supplier Database with Sustainability Dimensions (SD2) database, the first of its kind, to provide information on the sustainability operations of domestic companies. ...

The Ministry of Commerce on April 27 responded to criticism that allowing private vendors to sell essential goods at designated locations would run contrary to government preventive health measures – which prohibit gatherings – to stem the spread Covid-19. ...

Aeon Mall, Makro and Virak Buntham Express on April 26 said they will work with the Ministry of Commerce to provide essential food items for sale in designated red zones in a bid to maintain prices and stabilise the supply of goods in the market ...

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 ...

Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) on April 19 urged buyers and stakeholders not to penalise its members for failing to honour pre-agreed delivery commitments during the ongoing lockdown measures imposed by the government. ...

The Ministry of Commerce on April 20 dispatched five trucks to seven “Red Zones” to sell food products and groceries at below-market prices during the ongoing two-week coronavirus lockdown in Phnom Penh and adjacent Takmao town in Kandal province, according to undersecretary of state Pen ...

With authorities tightening security to prevent community transmission in Phnom Penh and Kandal province’s Takhmao town, e-commerce activity, cashless payments and delivery services have logged a notable rise, swiftly becoming new features of the digital world in Cambodia. ...

Small businesses raising questions about the process of applying for a loan through the newly formed Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC)’s Business Recovery Guarantee Scheme (BRGS), has prompted CGCC’s chief executive officer Mr. Wong Keet Loong to provide an overview of how the scheme ...

A number of Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) member companies have reduced retail prices of milled rice by 10,000-20,000 riel ($2.50-5) per 50kg sack to participate in government efforts to improve people’s livelihoods during the ongoing two-week coronavirus lockdown in Phnom Penh and adjacent Takhmao town ...

The General Department of Taxation (GDT) has advised taxpayers and tax service agencies located in lockdown-restricted areas to electronically file income tax returns and avoid the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus. ...

The Ministry of Commerce posted $12.7 million in revenue for 2020, down by 50.83 per cent over $26.60 million in 2019, driven down by reductions in business registration fees and an increasing number of merchants self-certifying their products’ origins. ...

The much-anticipated Inclusive Business Enabling Environment for Cambodia (IbeeC) strategy will be adopted soon to meet the needs of 1.7 million poor and low-income Cambodians by 2023, a wide-ranging virtual meeting conducted by the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation heard on March 18. ...

Nine international business chambers have called on the General Department of Taxation (GDT) to extend the deadline for filing tax on income for fiscal year 2020 past March 31 in light of economic pressure caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. ...

Angkor Enterprise has extended the period of validity for entry tickets to Angkor Archaeological Park in a move to revive tourism to the sprawling temple complex, it said in a March 10 press release. ...

The private sector welcomed the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications newest warning to unlicensed or otherwise non-legally-compliant telecoms operators as a necessary building block for sustainable growth in the industry. ...

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. ...