Cambodia

This Kazakh-managed, Canadian-owned Cambodian bank prides itself on its modernity. Its app and online banking functions are regarded by competitors as the industry benchmark in Phnom Penh, and customers seem to agree.

This award could be as much a lifetime achievement gong for CIMB Cambodia boss Bun Yin as it is for the Malaysian-owned bank he has run since 2015. Indeed, the mere fact that he is alive to accept it is achievement enough, with this country’s tragic history. Born in 1956, Yin survived the Khmer Rouge genocide as a 19-year-old to become the banker he always wanted to be, and one well respected by competitors, peers and staff alike.

Shuzo Shikata’s SBI Royal Securities wins this award for its almost single-handed contribution to the emergence of a Cambodian capital market, notably its fledgling stock market.

Banking in Cambodia can be tough. It’s a small, developing market and there are a lot of banks; 43 commercial banks are registered with the central bank. And that does not include a longer list of specialized sector-focused banks and microfinanciers.

Banking in Cambodia can be tough. It’s a small, developing market and there are a lot of banks; 43 commercial banks are registered with the central bank. And that does not include a longer list of specialized sector-focused banks and microfinanciers.

CIMB’s boss in Phnom Penh, Bun Yin, is the only Cambodian to run an international bank anywhere, but that’s not the only remarkable thing about him: the fact that he’s alive to do so is another.

SBI Royal Securities

SBI Royal Securities