NBC and German Embassy Discuss Economic Cooperation and Agricultural Financing

Her Excellency Dr. Chea Serey, Governor of the National Bank of Cambodia, received Her Excellency Silke Röfer, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the Kingdom of Cambodia, for a courtesy call and working discussion on October 16, 2026, at the National Bank of Cambodia.

The discussion covered Cambodia’s economic outlook amid global economic uncertainty, rising energy costs and other challenges, as well as opportunities to further strengthen cooperation.

During the meeting, the Ambassador highlighted the importance of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in supporting economic activity. The two sides also discussed opportunities to strengthen agricultural value chains, particularly for cashew crops. She further underscored the importance of promoting domestic processing and improving farmers’ access to finance.

In response, the Governor highlighted the strong financial cooperation with the German government in the past and briefed the Ambassador on Cambodia’s economic situation and progress in diversifying its products and export markets. Regarding access to finance, she noted that despite the introduction of regulatory incentive mechanisms to promote lending to small and medium-sized enterprises and the agricultural sector, challenges in accessing finance remain. In this regard, she encouraged joint research to clearly identify practical barriers, such as access to capital, logistics, agricultural value chains and financial service users’ awareness.

The Governor and the Ambassador underscored the importance of evidence-based studies and stronger cooperation to address these challenges and support sustainable economic development.