Cambodia

When it comes to combining banking and innovation in Cambodia, one doesn’t need to look any further than ABA Bank. With chief executive Askhat Azhikhanov in the hot seat, the firm has made bringing new technology to Cambodia’s financial sector a priority. Case in point: it was the first to launch a full-scale mobile banking app in Cambodia in 2015.

Union Commercial Bank, led by CEO Jordan Chung, is Asiamoney’s winner of the best bank for CSR in Cambodia for successfully integrating its responsibility to the community with its business activities.

Making the most of very little served Credit Suisse’s Cambodian investment banking operations well in the past year. During Asiamoney’s awards period, the economy was still struggling to recover from the pandemic, leading to a difficult environment for capital-raising. Yet the Swiss bank, led by head of frontier markets Babur Rais, brought some key deals to the market.

As a subsidiary of Malaysia’s Public Bank, Campu can leverage the strength and reputation of its parent when it comes to attracting clients.

SBI Royal Securities

ABA Bank has helped to transform Cambodia’s banking sector through digitalization and a razor-sharp focus on financial inclusion – efforts that are paying off.

Cambodia’s government, central bank and financial institutions rose to the challenge of mitigating the impact of the pandemic, with some success. There is more work to be done – but a growing focus on innovation and digitalization could herald a new beginning.

SBI Royal Securities has a unique place in Cambodia’s corporate and investment banking market, as it was the first Japanese institution to be given a full securities licence in Cambodia 11 years ago. It hasn’t looked back since.

Maybank’s journey from a single branch in Phnom Penh in 1993 to a dominant international institution in Cambodia has been action-packed, making it a natural choice for the best international bank award.