Cambodia stands out among ASEAN+3 member economies for its high degree of dollarization. While dollarization has facilitated financial transactions, trade and investment, it also requires banks to meet liquidity demand in both US dollars and Cambodian riel.

Two months before the 20th Francophonie Summit and a state visit by Emmanuel Macron, Paris and Phnom Penh are picking up the pace. Trade rose 17.5% in 2025 and three infrastructure projects were selected in July. France's weight in the kingdom nonetheless remains small next to China's.

Premium rice on the shelves of E.Leclerc, processed mango under Costco's own label, Kampot pepper in Western delicatessens: Cambodia is accelerating its move upmarket. Behind the breakthrough lies a deliberate state strategy — moving beyond raw commodities to sell brand and processing power instead.

Exports are breaking records. Foreign investment keeps flowing in. Public debt stays low. But tourism has collapsed, inflation has quintupled in three months, and millions of households are sinking deeper into debt. Two economies coexist in Cambodia. Here's why.

As Cambodia moves toward graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has reaffirmed its commitment to continued technical and policy support for the country's trade sector. The confirmation came during a courtesy meeting held on 6 August 2026 at the Ministry of Commerce in Phnom Penh.

Figures released on July 10 by the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) confirm a trend that has held steady since January: Cambodia exported US$17.09 billion worth of goods between January and June 2026, up 19.5 percent from US$14.29 billion over the same period in 2025. This momentum extends a pattern seen month after month since the start of the year, with export growth never dipping below 17 percent.

After a surprisingly resilient 2025, Cambodia is heading into 2026 with growth slowing sharply. Surging oil prices, the prolonged closure of the Thai border, and rising bad loans in the banking sector are combining to paint a more mixed macroeconomic picture, according to the latest Annual Consultation Report from the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), published in July.

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) has revised its 2026 growth forecast to 3.9 percent, a figure that stands in sharp contrast to the more cautious 3.0 percent published by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) earlier this month. The gap between the two institutions reflects the uncertainty weighing on an economy caught between external shocks — energy prices, trade tensions — and domestic fragilities, from the border dispute with Thailand to the crackdown on online scam ne

L'Ambassadeur de France, M. Olivier Richard, a assisté aux côtés de S.E. Mao Havannall, ministre en charge du Secrétariat d'État à l'Aviation civile, à la signature d'un protocole d'accord entre VINCI Airports et WorldBridge, visant à créer un hub logistique à l'aéroport international de Sihanoukville.

Since July 24, a new US tariff regime has governed trade with 60 economies, from Brazil to Vietnam to the European Union. For Cambodia, the verdict is almost unexpectedly good: Phnom Penh avoids the heaviest rate and finds itself, for once, better treated than its main regional textile rivals. But the tariff relief does not dissolve a far older structural problem — the kingdom's near-total dependence on Chinese fabric.

CEO of Primalis Corporation and Vice Chairwoman of the Cambodia Rice Federation, Lynda Him discusses the role of women in Cambodia's agricultural sector, building the "Brand Cambodia" story, creating added value through exports, leadership in a competitive global industry, and her message to the next generation of Cambodian women leaders. Interview originally published in Cambodia Leadership Review — Khmer Women Voices 2026.

In the markets of Phnom Penh and in remote villages of Mondul Kiri alike, a savings system as old as village solidarity itself continues to do what banks sometimes struggle to do: lend to people who have nothing to put up as collateral except their word.

EV registrations jumped 151% in the first half of 2026, a surge driven largely by the war in the Middle East and a determined government policy. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and American carmakers are now racing to set up assembly lines in the Kingdom.

Cambodia confirms its accelerating integration into global value chains, driven by the United States, Vietnam and China — even as the import bill grows just as fast.

France's Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Nicolas Forissier, visits Cambodia on 9 and 10 July to meet the Kingdom's leading economic officials and the French business community. The trip lays the groundwork ahead of Emmanuel Macron's visit in November for the Francophonie Summit, and comes as bilateral trade stalls in early 2026, following an otherwise encouraging 2025.

Between brand-new expressways, sprawling special economic zones and an airport barely out of the ground, the Cambodian kingdom is accelerating its industrial transformation. A report published this year by realestate.com.kh paints the picture of a still-young market that is nonetheless ready to take off — provided it comes to terms with some well-identified structural weaknesses.

In Siem Bok district, an industrial eucalyptus plantation illustrates Cambodia's strategy to cut down on processed-timber imports, blending domestic supply-chain building with provincial economic development.

In November 2026, the Cambodian capital becomes the economic center of gravity of the Francophonie. A strong signal, at the crossroads of two worlds.

Sur les cinq premiers mois de 2026, le commerce extérieur du Cambodge affiche une progression de 19 % tirée par la demande américaine et l'effet des accords de libre-échange régionaux. Une performance d'autant plus remarquable que l'économie nationale absorbe simultanément un choc pétrolier, une crise immobilière et un repli des envois de fonds depuis la Thaïlande.

She arrived in Cambodia out of curiosity, “without really knowing the country,” as she says herself. A few years later, Eva sits on the board of French Tech Phnom Penh, leads CSR and cultural projects within a major Cambodian conglomerate, and is preparing to represent the Francophone tech ecosystem at the 2026 Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh’s Techo Airport enters Skytrax’s global top 5 — and the ambition goes far beyond the trophy

Long exported raw, Cambodia’s cashew sector is beginning a strategic shift. Three companies are preparing to valorize shell oil — an overlooked byproduct with considerable global outlets.

In a context of a sharp decline in international visitors, the Kingdom has launched a targeted $100,000 marketing offensive with the low-cost giant AirAsia. It's a bet on diversifying source markets, away from the well-trodden paths of ASEAN.

In partnership with UNDP, Cambodia's financial market regulator has just published a detailed guide to govern the issuance of these new financing instruments. A concrete step toward a more responsible economy.