Economy and commerce

The first comprehensive survey of the accessibility and usage of Cambodian financial services found that only 17 per cent of the Kingdom’s adult population is banked, with poor access to financial services among the key impediments to financial inclusion of those living in rural areas. ...

Revenue collected by the customs and excise department jumped nearly 20 per cent during the first six months of the year, compared with the same period a year earlier, figures released yesterday show. ...

Banking industry insiders expressed concern yesterday over a spike in the amount of delinquent debts reported by microfinance institutions (MFIs) across the Kingdom, which they attributed to farmers struggling to repay their loans after adverse weather conditions affected their crops. ...

The Thailand government will consider tapping into 50 emerging cities, including those in Cambodia, for investment opportunities based on information provided by Japan External Trade Organization (Jetro), according to the Bangkok Post. ...

A new report by market research firm TNS identifies five triggers that acted together as catalysts for the dramatic changes in consumer behaviour that led to China’s “explosive” e-commerce growth, and suggests other Asian economies could be on the same trajectory. ...

A Japanese businessman has acquired a majority stake of microfinance company Farmer Union Development Fund (FUDF) and plans to expand its lending to the real estate sector as well as small- and medium-sized enterprises, he revealed yesterday. ...

Representatives of Cambodia’s tech sector say they are ready to help the country take advantage of global advances in information and communication technology (ICT), after recent reforms to the main body representing the industry. The management of the ICT Federation of Cambodia was overhauled in ...

The Swedish-Thai business community was given a rare opportunity to get a heads up on the investment climate in Cambodia, courtesy of departing Ambassador of Sweden to Cambodia, Ms Anna Maj Hultgård. ...

New trade privileges that allow Cambodian-manufactured travel goods duty-free access to the United States for the first time could see exports of these items increase by over 400 per cent in the coming years, industry experts said yesterday. ...

The controversial Union Law, which was passed and put into force after dozens of debates and protests, is expected to build confidence among garment and textile buyers as well as employers and workers, experts said. Sandra D’Amico, vice president of the Cambodian Federation of Employers ...

The Cambodia-India Joint Committee Meeting on bilateral trade and technology exchange will be held in New Delhi on Friday, the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told reporters yesterday.   ...

MasterCard, the plastic payment-card brand of global financial services firm MasterCard Worldwide, has been present in the Kingdom since 2001, but until recently it was relatively unknown to most Cambodians. However, there are signs its signature debit and credit cards are poised for robust growth ...

Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) has introduced its mobile banking app in Cambodia that integrates augmented reality capabilities and a QR code reader for customers to easily locate the nearest Maybank branch. ...

The Ministry of Commerce has tapped Wing (Cambodia) Ltd Specialised Bank to be the fourth financial institution designated to handle payments for companies incorporated using the ministry’s online registration system. ...

Cambodia is one of the potential choices for a blue chip Thailand-based company’s expansion into the Asean region, according to the Bangkok Post yesterday. ...

The ASEAN-Korea Centre has hosted a seminar to promote investment in Cambodia’s agricultural industry. Co-organized with the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), the “Investment and Business Environment Seminar on Cambodia” was held at Hotel Shilla in Seoul on June 29. About 70 Koreans attended. ...

Golden Gate Ventures recently closed a new $60 million fund for Southeast Asia’s rapidly-growing startup ecosystem. ...

The Thai government has approved the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), linking the Dawei deep-sea port in Myanmar with Sihanoukville in Cambodia and Vung Tau port in Vietnam, according a report in the Bangkok Post. ...

Local investors have welcomed the presence of the Hong Kong Business Association in Cambodia (HKBAC), which officially opened its offices on Monday, as a way of attracting more investors from Hong Kong to Cambodia. ...

The General Department of Taxation (GDT) signed a memorandum of understanding with the Financial Intelligence Unit of the National Bank of Cambodia (FIUNBC) to exchange information on money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities. ...

The Ministry of Commerce received a visiting business delegation led by Bruno Luk, director of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade office in Singapore, Pao Hengdara, the ministry’s chief of cabinet, said yesterday.   ...

The government has come to the rescue of rice millers and exporters, currently in the throes of a serious financial crisis, with loans of between $20 and $30 million to the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF). This is to help the sector purchase rice from farmers ...

The Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) ─ listed Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) saw its profits plunge by more than 65 percent in the first quarter of this year with total revenue declining by more than 20 percent in the same period. ...

Cambodia’s economy will grow 7.1 per cent in 2016 while per capita income will reach $1,301 this year, Prime Minister Hun Sen said yesterday.   ...