The Association of Banks in Cambodia (ABC), with support from the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the ASEAN Bankers Association (ABA), staged the 4th Cambodia Banking Conference. The August 19-20 event, held in Phnom Penh, featured the theme: “Unlocking Inclusive Growth: Digital Innovation and Sustainability”.
The two-day conference served as a collaborative platform for policymakers, industry leaders and innovators to address key topics and build connections in the financial sector.
In attendance were many of the Kingdom’s biggest players in the financial services sector, including Kith Sovannarith, NBC director-general of Banking Supervision, Paul Gwee Choon Guan, ABA secretary-general, Rath Sophoan, ABC chairman, Raymond Sia, ABC vice-chair, and Sharad Jain, Mastercard country manager for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
According to an ABC statement, the conference covered seven key topics.
They included Cambodia’s economic outlook for 2025, sustainable finance and ESG, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence in the banking sector, fraud prevention, digital wage payments and women and inclusive finance.
The NBC’s Sovannarith highlighted how unlocking inclusive and sustainable growth requires more than strategies, policies and technologies; it demands active collaboration across government, private sector, civil societies and international partners.
“The [government’s] pentagonal strategy provides us with a national roadmap, NBC provides the industry roadmaps and supportive regulations, and to some extent platforms for financial innovation; while partnerships with the private sector translate these strategies into lasting changes for our people,” he said.
ABC chair Sophoan noted that today’s financial system today is complicated and always changing. This includes aspects such as financial technology (Fintech), digital currencies, decentralised finance and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) banking, he explained.
“This year’s conference highlights how Cambodia’s banking industry can leverage technology and sustainable finance to drive inclusive economic growth,” he said.
Choon Guan, ABC secretary-general delivered a keynote address.
He described how ASEAN is navigating a period of rapid transformation.
“Technology is reshaping the way we serve our customers, sustainability is redefining the way we measure progress, and inclusion is reminding us that growth must benefit everyone,” he said.
“The ABC remains committed to working with our members to promote cross-border collaborations, share best practices and develop innovative solutions that address both local challenges and regional opportunities,” he added.
Oum Sam Oeun, president and CEO of KB PRASAC Bank Plc., noted that Cambodia’s banking financial systems remain strong and resilient, thanks to prudential and flexible regulations, risk management and customer-focused strategies.
He was pleased to share that in the first six months of 2025, KB PRASAC Bank performed well, in terms of loan portfolio, asset quality, deposit balance and digital payments.
“The sustainable growth of KB PRASAC comes from consumer trust and protection, the heart of everything we do. Consumer protection is not just compliance requirement, but part of the bank’s journey to build a deep, customer-first culture,” he said.
“We have done so by strengthening data privacy and cybersecurity, providing financial literacy programs, pursuing the development of inclusive financial products and services, empowering women and improving our consumer protection desk to treat to all customers fairly and transparently,” he added.
