OVER DEZE AFLEVERING
In this episode of Compliance Champions, Delphine Forma, Head of Policy Europe and APAC at Solidus Labs, speaks with Dr. Vin Pheakdey, Deputy Director General and Chair of the FinTech Working Group at the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia.
They explore how Cambodia has transformed its approach to digital assets — from restricting unlicensed crypto activity in 2018 to establishing a formal, dual-authority licensing framework under SERC and the National Bank of Cambodia. Dr. Vin walks through the architecture of Prakas 093, which classifies digital assets as financial instruments and securities, and explains what firms need to demonstrate to navigate the sandbox process and secure a full licence. He also shares the most common gaps SERC sees in applications — practical intelligence for any firm considering the Cambodian market.
The conversation also explores the realities of supervising a borderless market. Dr. Vin shares why offshore unregulated platforms remain one of the biggest challenges facing regulators, why international cooperation and information sharing are indispensable, and how Cambodia is embedding market integrity into its framework through transaction monitoring, trade surveillance, RegTech, SupTech and direct supervisory access to transaction data.
They also discuss Project Bakong — Cambodia's blockchain-based digital payment system with over 65% population penetration — and how its success has shaped the country's confidence and approach to broader digital asset regulation.
Rounding out the episode: Cambodia's international engagement strategy including its bilateral meeting with the U.S. SEC, lessons learned for other emerging market regulators, and a preview of the joint NBC-SERC guideline on digital asset supervision currently in development.
A sharp, forward-looking conversation offering a rare regulator-side view into how emerging markets are building digital asset frameworks — and why Cambodia's approach deserves more attention than it gets.
