Cambodia Counsel

Cityscape in Cambodia

Company Bank Account

Opening and managing corporate bank accounts in Cambodia.

Registering a new limited company in Cambodia, requires proof that the required minimum capital (US$1,000) has been deposited into a bank in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Therefore, an account must be established at a licensed bank in the Kingdom of Cambodia in order to complete company registration/incorporation. The bank account is usually established in the name of a nominee individual or a shareholder and then transferred into the name of the new company following completion of incorporation. For a QIP company, the CDC will issue a conditional approval after receiving a complete application. The applicant must then provide proof of the deposit of 25% of the declared registered capital prior to the completion of company formation and final approval. Cambodian law recognizes pre-incorporation status and the validity of pre-incorporation contracts. Any debts or legal obligations incurred by the company while in a pre-incorporation status may be adopted by the company once it has been incorporated.

What the Account Is Used For

A company bank account is typically required in order to:

  • Receive and make business payments
  • Pay taxes and social-security contributions
  • Receive the capital importation certificate from the National Bank of Cambodia (where applicable)
  • Satisfy the practical requirements of the commercial registration process

Company bank accounts may be held in Cambodian Riel (KHR) or US Dollars (USD), or both. Most commercial activity in Cambodia uses US Dollars in practice.

QIP / CDC-Registered Companies

For a company seeking investment incentives through the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) as a Qualified Investment Project (QIP), the foreign investor must import the required registered capital through a licensed bank in Cambodia under the 2021 Investment Law and its implementing Sub-Decree No. 139 (June 26, 2023). The bank issues a capital importation certificate confirming that the funds were brought into the country, which is required for QIP registration and later for profit repatriation.

CDC applications — including online QIP submissions through the CDC’s cdcIPM platform (launched November 2024) — require documentation of the company’s banking arrangements as part of the investment package.