Economy and commerce

Cambodia’s beleaguered rice millers can now breathe a sigh of relief after a tumultuous three months in what seemed to be government ineptitude in disbursing an emergency loan of $30 million to prevent them from becoming insolvent. In June, the Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF) announced that ...

Bank of China, one of the five biggest state-owned commercial banks in China, will expand its operations in Cambodia by opening new branches in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, a local bank executive said yesterday. ...

Cambodia and China last week signed an agreement to exchange financial intelligence to combat money laundering and terrorism financing, though experts said the Kingdom should still be doing more to tackle an issue that has long persisted in the country, in part, due to local ...

Cambodia is looking to secure its first commercial contract for the export of swiftlet nests to China, but must first demonstrate compliance with the Asian giant’s hygiene protocols, a government official has said. Hean Vanhan, undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Agriculture, said swiftlet nests, ...

Canada is keen to sign an investment protection agreement with Cambodia to boost trade between both countries following the visit of Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion to the Kingdom last Friday. ...

Almost two weeks after the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX) announced that it was accepting applications for the newly approved liquidity providers (LPs) option, it admitted yesterday that no one had yet applied, as insiders said they were still unsure of the program. ...

A month after Thailand blocked agricultural products from Cambodia over improperly stamped and signed certification documents, the Thai ambassador on Friday pledged to seek a solution for Cambodia’s maize exports. Commerce Minister Pan Sorasak said on Saturday that Cambodian authorities are doing their utmost to solve ...

The Federation of Associations of Small and Medium Enterprises of Cambodia (FASMAC) has sought support from the anti-corruption organization Transparency International, to prepare it to be a graft-free business entity and help its members to be listed on the Cambodia Stock Exchange (CSX). ...

Jimei International Entertainment Group, a Hong Kong-listed casino junket investor that promotes at least seven gaming tables in NagaWorld casino in Phnom Penh, reported a steep decline in profit during the first half of 2016 despite increased turnover. ...

New data released by Cambodia’s independent credit reporting agency indicate a significant slowdown in the rate of lending during the second quarter of the year, a sign that banking industry experts claim is due to a tightening of lending criteria and less demand from the ...

National Bank of Canada attributed its 5.5 per cent jump in fiscal third-quarter profit to its acquisition of Cambodia’s Advanced Bank of Asia Ltd. (ABA Bank) earlier this year. ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy is set to issue the country’s first commercial underground mining license to Indian company Mesco Gold in two weeks, despite opposition by residents of two villages concerned about compensation and environmental damage. The company plans to break ground on its ...

Cambodia should seek to enlarge its market share of the Thai consumer market by focusing on the export of unique items, a visiting Thai trade promoter said during a workshop in Phnom Penh yesterday. ...

Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak held a meeting with representatives of the European Union this week to discuss the formulation of a new trade program to be supported by the EU, the Ministry of Commerce announced yesterday. ...

Cambodian financial institutions surveyed yesterday said they were in compliance with the central bank’s revised liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) requirements as the deadline passed to increase their cash and highly liquid assets to weather any internal or external shocks. ...

A modest increase in the inflow of foreign direct investment is a sign that Cambodia remains an attractive destination to investors, and will go a long way toward the country’s development, analysts said yesterday. Total capital inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to Cambodia amounted to ...

The Ministry of Labor passed all responsibility for foreign work permits today to E-Solutions (Cambodia) Co., leaving a multitude of unanswered questions about the private company that will process, produce and distribute the permits online. Ministry spokesman Heng Sour declined to answer questions about the company, ...

Kampong Speu palm sugar is expected to receive its geographical indication (GI) status certification from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development by the end of this year, according to an official from the Kampong Speu Palm Sugar Promotion Association (KSPSPA). Mr. Sok Sarang, ...

Agricultural exports to Thailand are still being blocked at the border by Thai authorities over concerns that officials’ seals and certificates of origin are being forged, as Cambodian officials try to resolve the issue. The Ministry of Commence on Friday issued a statement stressing that the ...

The Ministry of Commerce and representatives of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) came together on Friday to discuss ways to boost the promotion of made-in-Cambodia goods, both in local and international markets, against a background of local supermarkets discriminating against these local products. Minister of Commerce ...

Rubber industry experts and government officials from ASEAN member countries gathered in Siem Reap yesterday to agree on harmonised standards for rubber products that would facilitate cross-border trade. The Asean Consultative Committee for Standards and Quality (ACCSQ) Rubber-Based Product Working Group (RBPWG) agreed to 61 harmonised ...

While Cambodia’s Moody’s rating is still at the same B2 level as last year, its economic growth has been downgraded two points from 2015, with the international credit rating agency warning that the Kingdom’s rapid pace of credit growth could pose financial stability risks. “The pace ...

Cambodia’s microfinance sector continued to expand rapidly during the first half of the year, despite concerns over rising default rates as the industry’s main borrowers – provincial farmers – struggle to repay their loans after successive seasons of drought and poor harvests. ...

Indian businesses are looking at Cambodia as a convenient hub in the lower Mekong area, as access to trade with neighboring Vietnam and Thailand improves, a government advisor said yesterday. Speaking at a seminar titled “Asean Integration and the Role of India,” Sok Siphana, a lawyer ...