Cambodia’s Growing Trust Market – Interview With Hans Chen, CEO Of Stronghold Trustee

on Nov, 28 2024

Cambodia’s Trust Market In 2024

Chen shared that a little over 1,000 trust cases have now been registered with the Trust Regulator of Cambodia, valued at a total of around USD 1.5 billion. This is a significant jump from the 17 cases registered in the market when the regulator was first established in 2021.

“I think the market has performed very well, and I appreciate the effort of the trust regulator, because no matter the country, government support is always a very important factor to developing an industry,” said Chen.

Stronghold Trustee’s History In The Market

Stronghold Trustee Co., Ltd. – a part of the Stronghold Group of Companies, which has its roots in Taiwan – was one of the first companies to receive principal approval of a trustee license in 2019, followed by an official trustee license from the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC) that same year. The company then completed its first trust registration in 2021, which Chen said was actually filed with the Ministry of Economy and Finance at the time since the Trust Regulator did not exist yet.

“Why we did this was because it was a new industry, a new business, and we wanted to let our clients know that the whole trust scheme in Cambodia is doable and safe,” Chen affirmed.

Regarding the average timeframe for registering a trust in Cambodia, Chen clarified that trust regulation details a typically three-month period to complete registration, however, recent improvements made by the regulator have allowed for the process to be sped up to less than a month, depending on case complexity.

Utilising Stronghold Trustee’s Services

Stronghold Trustee provides services for two kinds of trust products: trusts holding properties, and trusts for managing money.

Chen, in his own admission, said that there are currently around 10 or 12 trustee companies, including commercial banks, that also offer this kind of service, however, he stressed that expertise is not necessarily the most important part when it comes to the trust industry.

The most important thing is gaining the client's trust… After doing our analysis, we will let the customer make the final decision before they really work with us.

Stronghold Trustee’s Recognition As The ‘Outstanding Trust Company 2023’

Stronghold Trustee was recently recognised as the ‘Outstanding Trust Company 2023’ by the Trust Regulator of Cambodia. Commenting on this recognition, Chen expressed his appreciation to the regulator and the Cambodian government.

“As a trust company coming from another country, [receiving this award] really shows the Cambodian government's support in developing the financial industry while being friendly to foreign investors,” said Chen.

“It also means that our work, our effort, has already been seen, and I’d also like to express my appreciation to Stronghold Group, our Stronghold team, for their help. We will keep working hard to provide the best services for our clients, to develop the market, develop new products, and, of course, contribute to the industry,” he added.

Attracting Capital Flows And Liquidity To Cambodia Through Trusts

On how the trust market can help to attract more capital flows to Cambodia, Chen said it is up to all trust companies to figure out how to attract more investors, in compliance with regulation and law, as well as to develop new financial products.

We also need to go out to other countries to promote our sector, because, yes, many people know Cambodia, but people don’t really know that we have a very safe trust scheme to safeguard investment.

Most Popular Trust Products In Cambodia

Until now, most of the registered trust cases have been commercial trusts, with most also related to real estate holdings, shared Chen. This was something representatives of the Trust Regulator also confirmed to B2B Cambodia during the Property, Business and Lifestyle Expo 2024. On why property trusts are so popular, Chen pointed to the security trusts provide over previous methods of owning real estate in Cambodia, especially for foreigners who, by law, cannot hold their own land title and have previously had to rely on nominees.

“In the past, people tended to use their friends or local nominees to hold their property, but after studying the trust mechanism, they understand how it can help to protect their property,” he said. “Through trusts, we can help them to prevent their property being taken by bad nominees or bad business partners. For nominees, as well, they can prevent bad investors from setting them up, by selling all their properties and taking the money away, then leaving the nominee here to take all the responsibility.

Another reason he highlighted was the arrival of new investors who want to invest through proper means from the beginning.

After considering options such as using a nominee, long-term leasing, or naturalisation, they see that using trust services is clearly a better, safer and cheaper option.

Key Opportunities In Cambodia’s Trust Market For Foreign Investors

Regarding the main opportunities trusts provide foreign investors, Chen continued to highlight real estate investments.

“We understand that the real estate market recently has not been doing very well, but we've seen some investors actually come back looking for more affordable property that hold potential, so I would say real estate is still a good option,” he said.

You can easily find partners like Realestate.com.kh to help foreigners and overseas investors, to find proper investments and potential properties here in Cambodia. You can easily reach local agencies here, so it’s no problem.

“Besides real estate investment, I think the fixed deposit interest rate here is still higher than most other countries, so if an investor wants to look into fixed returns, there’s always that option,” he added.

Cambodia’s Growing Trust Market – Interview With Hans Chen, CEO Of Stronghold Trustee./B2B Cambodia.

Things Foreign Investors Should Consider When Investing In A Trust

Chen encourages all foreign investors to do their due diligence and first properly consult with their trustee partner about the investment they are looking for, whether it be a property, deposit, fund, or other investment. Investors should also make sure to inform trustees of the purpose of investment and other terms and conditions.

He also emphasised the critical importance of ensuring the trust case is officially registered with the regulator to ensure the safety of the investment.

After a trust deed has been signed, we have to go forward with trust registration at the trust regulator… This is a key point I want to mention, because if we sign a trust deed and don’t go and register, the property will be under the trust company's name, similar to a nominee. So if something goes wrong, say if the trust company goes bankrupt, then the investment will be gone. With proper registration… investors will get a certificate, and this ensures your property will be safe if something bad happens to the trustee. You can take the certificate to the government and claim your property back.

Chen also highlighted that switching trustees can be quite costly, so investors should make careful consideration of what trust company they work with before officially moving forward with a trust agreement.

“I would suggest investors to make their comparisons in the beginning, whether it’s the price or the service… then carefully pick the trust company you want to work with, because the cost of switching trustees here, on the other hand, is quite high, due to some regulations,” Chen concluded.