Economy and commerce
Investment
Indian envoy seeks direct flights to Cambodia
India’s Ambassador Dinesh K. Patnaik pledged Tuesday to urge Indian airlines to operate direct flights to Cambodia in order to boost bilateral relations in trade, investment and tourism. ...
http://in.news.yahoo.com/indian-envoy-seeks-direct-flights-cambodia-061659956.html
Cambodia's export growth falls
Increased labour strife in the garment sector and slumping Western economies contributed to a slow-down in Cambodia’s exports during the first six months of the year, with total growth dropping by about 74 per cent year on year. Exports rose, to US$2.5 billion, up 12 per ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012072357550/Business/export-growth-falls.html
US looks beyond garments to deepen Cambodia trade
The biggest US trade delegation to Cambodia in decades joined Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here as the two countries look to expand their economic relationship beyond exports of cheaply produced garments. “On the economic front, there is much more room for us to grow ...
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/asia/303886/us-looks-beyond-garments-to-deepen-cambodia-trade
Gas Imports Grow to Nearly 1M Tons This Year
Oil imports to Cambodia in the first half of the year increased 22 percent to nearly 1 million tons compared to the same period last year, according to figures obtained yesterday from the Ministry of Commerce. According to the data, Cambodia imported 922,860 tons of gas ...
Local microfinance institute invests in new ATM network
Hattha Kaksekar Ltd, a local microfinance institution, has invested almost US$2 million in a new ATM network, the company announced yesterday. Hattha Kaksekar now has around $32 million in deposits and will become the first financial institution to use SmartVista, an automated ATM process which also ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012072057524/Business/mfi-to-invest-in-new-atm-network.html
City Starts Building Road Near Boeng Kak Lake
The Phnom Penh Municipality has begun construction work on a road skirting the area formerly taken up by the Boeng Kak lake, according to a statement posted on the city’s website. On Monday, the municipality held an inauguration ceremony for construction of a 615-meter concrete road ...
Micro-Lender To Roll Out ATM Service
Hattha Kaksekar Limited, one of the country’s largest microfinance institutions (MFIs), is in talks to become a commercial bank by 2014, an official at the micro-lender said yesterday. The move, if successful, will be in line with the Central Bank’s policy to support MFIs in diversifying ...
Japanese companies face domestic employee shortage
Japanese companies are facing a shortage of skilled workers which is hindering progress in Japanese-owned electronic factories, the Japanese Business Association of Cambodia (JBAC) said. The statement comes after the Asian Development Bank said in April that a shortage of skilled workers would continue to hinder ...
France helps Microfinance and Hevea Sector
Two financing agreements, implemented by the French Development Agency, were signed on 12 July 2012 at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, in the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Finance, H.E.M. Keat Chhon, to support two key sectors for economic and rural development of Cambodia. A financing agreement of 800,000 Euros (1 ...
SMEs seek own SEZ
The Federation of Associations of Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMEC) is now pushing for the establishment of a special economic zone (SEZ) for small and medium sized enterprises and is currently discussing such a move with the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy, ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012071857474/Business/smes-seek-own-sez.html
Malaysia Firm Buys Majority In Yellow Pages
The owner of Cambodia Yellow Pages has agreed in principle to sell a 51 percent stake to the subsidiary of Malaysian technology firm CBSA Bhd. in a deal worth $2.04 million, an official at the company said Monday. According to a disclosure last week from CBSA ...
OSK Indochina Bank acquired by RHB Capital
One of Malaysia’s biggest investment banks, RHB Capital, announced it will acquire OSK Indochina Bank, via the transfer of 100 per cent of OSK Investment Bank shares from parent OSK Holdings, giving OSK Holdings a 10 per cent stake in the larger Malaysian RHB Capital ...
Registered business numbers increased
The number of businesses registered with the Ministry of Commerce climbed by more than 10 per cent year on year during the first half of 2012, ministry data showed. Officials credited the government’s piecemeal efforts to institute a transparent investment policy and gross domestic product growth, ...
$20 million rice mill for Oddong
When London-based real estate investor Sanjay Dhir heard about Cambodia from his Indian partner Manoj Varma, he took a trip here in October 2010 and stopped by the roadside to meet the operators of a portable rice mill. He knew then that Cambodia was ready for ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012071757449/Business/20-million-rice-mill-for-oddong.html
Forum breaks ice, yet more time needed
Long-time foreign members of the Cambodian business community said the US-ASEAN Business Forum, held on Friday in Siem Reap, was largely successful in setting the country in the sights of America businesses, but multinational corporations will need more time in the Kingdom before nailing down ...
Men Sarun to export canned noodles to the US and ASEAN
The producer of Mee Yeung instant noodles is set to expand its business by investing US$1 million in equipment to produce noodles for export, said a company official. The new machines will be delivered from China and will be able to produce 6,000 cases or ...
As US Economy Slows, Investment in Asean Nations Necessary
Siem Reap City – With a host of uncertainties still hanging over the U.S. economy, more than 100 American businesses—the largest delegation to ever visit Cambodia—gathered here over the weekend, and all of them were in agreement about one thing: The slowdown in the U.S. ...
Clinton Discusses Investment, Debt in Cambodia
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Cambodia where she met with Prime Minister Hun Sen to discuss U.S. investment and Cambodia’s outstanding debt. Cambodia wants the United States to forgive more than $400 million in debt accrued by the US-backed military government of Lon ...
Number of Japanese firms to surge this year
If industry-watchers were roused last year by the influx of Japanese investment to Cambodia – including bellwether parts manufacturer Minebea – 2012 should not disappoint. Up to 60 new Japanese companies are expected to apply for business licences this year after the number tripled to about ...
Rocket Internet launches e-commerce site in Cambodia
A local representative of controversial online start-up incubator Rocket Internet said the company would invest “millions” in Cambodia as it launched a new online retail store yesterday, in what market insiders call a trend toward increasing e-commerce in the Kingdom. The site, shop.com.kh is offered in ...
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012071157333/Business/rocket-launches-e-commerce-site.html
Canada eyes close ties with Cambodia, ASEAN
Canada is willing to build close ties with Cambodia and other ASEAN member states in politics, trade and investment, said Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird on Wednesday. John said that Canada’s International Trade Minister Ed Fast will make a visit to Cambodia next month to ...
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-07/11/c_131709296.htm
Toll Royal to Restart Rail Services Next Month
Less than four months after suspending work on Cambodia’s dilapidated railway network, Toll Royal Railways (TRR), the network’s operator, has informed the government that it will recommence transporting construction materials needed to build the southern line on Aug. 1, company officials said yesterday. The decision to ...
Manulife enters Cambodia's burgeoning insurance market
Canadian insurance and financial services company Manulife Financial officially launched its Cambodian country office on June 28, one of several new players seeking to enter one of Southeast Asia’s still-untapped markets. Britain’s No.1 insurer Prudential said last week it had approval from the Cambodian government to open a wholly foreign-owned life insurance operation. Manulife, the world’s ...
Officials Differ on Equipment Confiscation
Forestry Administration officials in Banteay Meanchey province have confiscated and continue to hold equipment valued at $1.5 million from a troubled biofuel plantation without any legal backing, an official in the provincial governor’s office said. Bulldozers, steamrollers and dump trucks were confiscated last month from a ...