Phnom Penh, 23 May 2025: ERIA, in collaboration with the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), convened the first internal working group meeting for the joint study Enhancing Green Digital Finance in Cambodia. The meeting, held at the Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh, brought together key officials and technical experts from both institutions to finalise survey instruments and review progress on the study.

Dr Han Phoumin, ERIA’s Senior Energy Economist and lead of the working group, chaired the meeting.

The study aims to assess Cambodia’s current green finance ecosystem and explore how digital technologies can accelerate green financing in support of the country’s carbon neutrality goals. It will deliver actionable recommendations and design practical financial instruments to help scale green digital finance across Cambodia.

In his opening remarks, Dr Lay Sok Heng, Director General of Regulations and Financial Inclusion at NBC, highlighted Cambodia’s significant financing needs for climate-aligned development – estimated at over US$8 billion by 2050. He noted the recent completion of Cambodia’s first Sustainable Finance Taxonomy and underscored the central role of innovation and private sector mobilisation in achieving long-term sustainability goals.

Dr Aladdin D. Rillo, ERIA’s Managing Director for Policy Design and Operations, emphasised the importance of aligning digital and green transformations across ASEAN. While commending Cambodia’s efforts, he pointed out persistent challenges such as data gaps, insufficient reporting standards, and the risk of greenwashing. He described the project as a timely opportunity to generate essential baseline information for policy formulation and investment planning.

Dr Mon Sreyleak, Senior Economist at NBC, delivered a comprehensive presentation outlining the study’s key objectives:

1. Analyse international trends and best practices in green digital finance;
2. Assess Cambodia’s policy, institutional, and market landscape for green digital finance; and
3. Develop policy recommendations and design suitable financial instruments to promote green digital finance nationwide.

She also presented the study’s methodological framework, which incorporates desk research, comparative case studies from ASEAN and non-ASEAN countries, and extensive stakeholder interviews. The study is expected to deliver a baseline assessment and a set of policy recommendations by August 2025.

Following this, Dr You Vithyea, Division Chief at NBC, led participants through the draft survey instruments targeting financial institutions, fintech firms, green businesses, business associations, regulators, and international development partners. The working group discussed revisions to align with ASEAN and international frameworks and to capture data on digital infrastructure, financial inclusion, and the monitoring of green investment impacts.

In closing, participants reaffirmed their commitment to advancing green digital finance and ensuring that the study provides practical guidance to policymakers and market participants. The meeting marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s efforts to build a greener, more resilient financial ecosystem aligned with global and regional best practices.