TL;DR (in one upbeat paragraph)
Cambodia’s relationship with Bitcoin (ឆាយប៊ីតខូយិន) is rapidly evolving: while the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) still classifies Bitcoin as a high‑risk, “Group 2” asset and keeps it outside the country’s fast‑growing Bakong digital‑payment ecosystem, everyday Cambodians are nevertheless embracing BTC for remittances, savings and speculation. By mid‑2025 the Kingdom ranked 17ᵗʰ worldwide for grassroots crypto adoption, with an estimated 530 000 local users—roughly 3 % of the population—and a forecast market turnover of US $7.5 million this year. New Prakas rules (Dec 2024) finally give banks a legal path to handle stable‑coins and tokenised assets, signalling that full Bitcoin integration may only be a matter of time. Below is a Khmer‑language primer, the latest regulatory facts, where and how Cambodians are buying BTC today, the risks you must understand, and an inspirational look at what could come next for “Khmer Bitcoin.” 🚀
១. អ្វីទៅជាប៊ីតខូយិន? – What
is
Bitcoin? (Khmer explanation)
- Bitcoin គឺជាប្រាក់ឌីជីថល ដែលអាចផ្ទេរ ឬរក្សាទុកតាមបច្ចេកវិទ្យា Blockchain ដោយគ្មានកណ្តោលមជ្ឈដ្ឋាន មិនបាច់មានធនាគារកណ្តាល។
- ចំនុចពិសេស៖ កម្រជាក់ (២១ លានកាក់រួចហើយ), មានប្រព័ន្ធសុវត្ថិភាពខ្ពស់, និងអាចបញ្ជាក់ប្រតិបត្តិការ បានសាធារណៈ។
Motivation boost: ការស្លៀកស្លង់នៃ BTC គឺដូចជាការយកសេរីភាពហិរញ្ញវត្ថុមកវិញដោយខ្លួនឯង—ជំហានមួយសម្រាប់អ្នកស្រលាញ់គំនិតជំនឿ និងសហគ្រិនភាព! 🌟
២. បេសកកម្ម NBC និងបទប្បញ្ញត្តិថ្មីៗ (Regulation snapshot)
| ឆ្នាំ | សកម្មភាពសំខាន់ | បទប្បញ្ញត្តិ / ឯកសារ |
| 2018 | NBC, ក្រសួងអភិវឌ្ឍវិស័យហិរញ្ញវត្ថុ និងប៉ូលិសចុះ Joint Statement ប្រឆាំងដល់ការលក់ និងជួញដូរ Crypto 无អាជ្ញាបណ្ណ | |
| Nov 2024 | TRC បិទដែនដ្ឋានវែបសាយ Exchange ក្រៅប្រទេស 16 (Binance, Coinbase, OKX…) | |
| Dec 26 2024 | NBC ចេញ Prakas B7‑024‑735 – អនុញ្ញាតឱ្យធនាគារ/PSI កាន់ និងផ្ដល់សេវា Group 1 (stablecoins, tokenised securities) ប៉ុន្តែ មិនរាប់បញ្ចូល Bitcoin | |
| Jan 2025 | NBC ចាប់ផ្ដើមរៀបចំបទបញ្ជា បន្ថែម (capital limits: Group 1a ≤ 5 % CET1; Group 1b ≤ 3 %) |
What it means: Bitcoin (an “unbacked, Group 2” asset) is still off‑limits for banks, but individuals remain free to hold and trade on their own risk via offshore exchanges or P2P channels. The regulatory tide is clearly shifting from an outright ban to a “sandbox & supervision” mindset—great news for future mainstream adoption.
៣. អត្រានិងទំហំទីផ្សារ (Adoption & Market Size)
- Cambodia placed 17ᵗʰ in Chainalysis’ 2024 Global Crypto Adoption Index—higher than China or South Korea.
- 530 000+ Cambodian users are expected in 2025, generating ≈ US $7.5 million in crypto revenue.
- Youth dominate: > 66 % of Cambodian crypto users are aged 18‑24, ≈ 97 % under 35.
- Driving forces: remittances (~9 % of GDP), financial‑inclusion gaps, and speculation offsets low interest rates.
៤. តើអ្នកទិញ Bitcoin នៅកម្ពុជាយ៉ាងដូចម្តេច?
4.1 Offshore exchanges (easiest, but geo‑blocked)
| Exchange | ការប្រើប្រាស់ក្នុង KH | ចំណុចផ្សេងៗ |
| Binance | ~215 000 users; 24 h vol ≈ $34 B | Requires VPN since Nov 2024 block. |
| Kraken | Global brand; bank wire/funding | No KH fiat pairs; KYC required. |
| OKX / Bybit / Gate.io | Accessible via VPN; good alt‑coin range | Check withdrawal fees & T + 1 holds. |
4.2 P2P platforms & local OTC
- Binance P2P remains popular for Riel & USD cash trades despite web restrictions.
- Royal Group Exchange (RGX) and Cambodian Network Exchange (CNX) are the only two entities in NBC’s FinTech Regulatory Sandbox, but cannot yet offer BTC‑to‑fiat.
Pro‑tip: Always verify counterparties, meet in public, and use escrow / Bakong QR payments when possible.
៥. Bakong vs. Bitcoin – Friends or Foes?
Bakong, NBC’s blockchain‑powered retail payment rail, hit 608 million transactions worth US $104.8 billion in 2024 (≈ 3× GDP!).
- Bakong wallets now outnumber citizens 1.7 : 1 and support regional QR payments plus UnionPay/WeChat integration.
- While Bakong is central‑bank money, not crypto, its success shows Cambodians are ready for digital value—and NBC could one day bridge Bakong with regulated BTC rails once Group 2 rules mature.
៦. ហានិភ័យ និងការពារខ្លួន (Risks & Self‑Custody)
- Regulatory shifts – New NBC circulars could suddenly tighten or relax rules; stay informed.
- Exchange blocks & VPN use – TRC can blacklist more domains; keep multiple access plans.
- Scams & “pig‑butchering” syndicates – Cambodia ranks high for crypto‑related cyber‑crime; trust hardware wallets and multi‑sig.
- Volatility – Bitcoin’s price can swing > 20 % in days; dollar‑cost average and avoid leverage.
៧. អនាគតរុងរឿង (Future Outlook – stay hyped!)
- Stablecoin gateway first, then BTC custody: The Prakas caps bank exposure at 5 % (Group 1a) and 3 % (Group 1b); when institutions prove compliance, NBC may re‑evaluate Bitcoin.
- Regional synergy: ASEAN QR‑linkage plus Bakong’s cross‑border corridor could let Cambodian merchants accept BTC→USDT→KHR in seconds.
- Entrepreneurship wave: From blockchain‑based remittances to yield platforms, Cambodia’s young, tech‑savvy population is primed to build Khmer‑led crypto ventures—your next big idea could be one of them!
Stay Inspired: “ពេលអ្នកជឿលើអនាគត គឺពេល Bitcoin និងខ្មែរ ចូលរួមជួយកសាងសេដ្ឋកិច្ចឌីជីថលមួយ ដែលធនាគារឧស្សាហ៍ស្រមៃតែម្ដង!” 🚀
Further Reading & Communities
- Telegram: @BitcoinCambodia, @BakongUpdates
- Facebook Groups: “Bitcoin Cambodia 🇰🇭”, “Crypto Khmer Trader”
- Khmer‑language blogs/podcasts: Crypto For Innovation Khmer Series, FinTech News Cambodia (select articles auto‑translated).
(Content provided for education, not financial advice. Always comply with local laws and consult a licensed professional when in doubt.)