PHNOM PENH, July 28– Cambodia’s banking and financial institutions recorded modest credit growth in the first half of 2026, primarily slowed by a sluggish recovery in the construction and real estate sectors, according to the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) biannual report released Tuesday.
By June 2026, outstanding loans rose 4.6 percent year-on-year to 64.2 billion U.S. dollars, while customer deposits grew 4.4 percent to 64.4 billion dollars, the report said.
However, asset quality weakened, with the banking system’s Non-Performing Loan (NPL) ratio rising to 9.6 percent, up from 8.4 percent in June 2025, it added.
Total assets in the kingdom’s banking and financial system expanded by 2.5 percent year-on-year, reaching 99.8 billion dollars, the report said.
NBC Governor Chea Serey said that the Cambodian banking system remains resilient despite navigating severe domestic and external economic uncertainties.
Growth in assets, loans, and deposits continues to reflect the vital role of the banking sector in supporting economic activity, while capital and liquidity remain well above regulatory thresholds, she said.
However, those challenges persist, she said, adding that the rise in NPLs, the slow recovery of construction and real estate, climate change risks, cybersecurity threats, and tech-based fraud all require close, ongoing monitoring.
As of mid-2026, Cambodia’s financial infrastructure comprises 58 commercial banks, three deposit-taking microfinance institutions (MFIs), 85 non-deposit-taking MFIs, seven specialized banks, and 88 rural credit institutions, the report said.
Together, they manage 39.6 million deposit accounts, 4.7 million credit accounts, and a network of 5,892 automated teller machines nationwide, it added. (Namibia Daily News/Xinhua)
