Business Glossary
Simple definitions of Cambodian business terms and acronyms used across our news coverage.
- CDC — Council for the Development of Cambodia
- The government body that reviews and approves investment projects and incentives. Large foreign and domestic investments are registered through it.
- CSX — Cambodia Securities Exchange
- Cambodia's stock exchange in Phnom Penh, where listed companies' shares trade. The CSX Index tracks its overall performance.
- EBA — Everything But Arms
- A European Union trade scheme giving Cambodian exports duty-free access to the EU; parts of it were withdrawn in 2020.
- FDI — Foreign Direct Investment
- Investment from abroad into Cambodian businesses or projects, such as factories or property developments.
- FTB — Foreign Trade Bank
- A general term in regional business news for banks that finance imports and exports; in Cambodia the acronym often appears in trade-finance stories.
- Garment / footwear sector
- Cambodia's largest export industry, employing hundreds of thousands of workers, mostly producing clothing and shoes for foreign brands.
- GDP — Gross Domestic Product
- The total value of goods and services produced in Cambodia in a year — the standard measure of the economy's size.
- GDT — General Department of Taxation
- The tax administration under the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It collects taxes and registers taxpayers.
- KHR — Cambodian riel
- The national currency of Cambodia. The US dollar is also widely used, so many prices are quoted in both.
- MEF — Ministry of Economy and Finance
- The ministry responsible for the national budget, taxation and economic policy.
- Microfinance / MFI
- Small loans to individuals and small businesses, provided by microfinance institutions. Cambodia has one of the highest microloan rates per person in the world.
- NBC — National Bank of Cambodia
- Cambodia's central bank. It sets monetary policy, supervises banks and payment systems, and issues the riel.
- Oknha
- An honorary title granted to prominent businesspeople in Cambodia, often translated as 'tycoon'. Many heads of large business groups carry it.
- QIP — Qualified Investment Project
- An investment project approved by the CDC that receives tax and customs incentives, such as tax holidays.
- RCEP — Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
- A large Asia-Pacific free-trade agreement that includes Cambodia, lowering tariffs among member countries.
- SERC — Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia
- The regulator that licenses and supervises Cambodia's securities market, including the CSX and listed companies.
- SEZ — Special Economic Zone
- A designated industrial area with simplified customs and investment rules, aimed at attracting factories and exporters.
- SME — Small and Medium-sized Enterprise
- Small and medium businesses, a major focus of Cambodian government support programmes and bank lending.