NBFSA Hosts Workshop on FinTech Regulations and Lexicon

The Non-Bank Financial Services Authority (NBFSA) hosted a dissemination and consultation workshop on ‘Financial Technology (FinTech) Regulations and Lexicon’ on December 9, 2025, at the SUN & MOON Riverside Hotel.

The workshop aimed to promote FinTech literacy, present the NBFSA’s ongoing regulatory work, and collect feedback from relevant stakeholders.

Participants included representatives from ministries, public institutions, and the private sector. The event was presided over by H.E. Mey Vann, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), and Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the NBFSA.

H.E. Mey Vann noted that rapid technological and digital trends are driving transformation across the financial sector.

“This transformation not only brings opportunities for economic and social development but also introduces several challenges, particularly in the realm of financial technology, which is highly technical and often difficult to understand,” he said.

He added that both technological and financial terminology can be complex, while legal and regulatory work continues to evolve. These challenges are compounded by the fragmentation of existing laws and legal documents, which remain scattered across different sources rather than centralised—creating barriers to analysis, policy preparation, and implementation.

In line with the Law on the Organisation and Functioning of the NBFSA (2021), the Authority has published two major sectoral resources to support dissemination and improve access to financial technology information:

• FinTech Related Laws & Regulations Compendium
• FinTech Lexicon

H.E. Sau Sophea, Director of the FinTech Centre at the NBFSA, told B2B Cambodia that the event aimed to share the progress of the NBFSA’s FinTech Portal and introduce the publications prepared by the FinTech Centre of the General Secretariat. The workshop also provided a platform for stakeholders—particularly from the private sector—to share feedback and recommendations.

Sophea noted that the FinTech sector is still new and growing, and that the NBFSA was established only in 2021. 

“We still have very few laws on FinTech because we must balance innovation with regulation. If we impose too many regulations, innovation will be hindered. But if there are no laws, it becomes difficult to support the sector legally," said Sophea.

He added that, when preparing laws, the NBFSA proceeds steadily, sometimes adopting a “wait-and-see” approach to observe developments in the private sector.

“We all know the private sector moves first, and the government follows, so we encourage them to innovate further," he said.

Sophea also highlighted that Cambodia currently has a regulatory sandbox—an environment where companies can test their ideas and business models.

“The benefit for regulators is that we can also learn from this process, helping us create laws that do not hinder innovation,” he said.

The FinTech Regulation Book compiles laws and legal documents directly related to FinTech, featuring around 380 articles and regulatory guidance. The publication spans more than 4,000 pages, divided into three major parts and four sections covering institutional frameworks, digital regulations supporting financial technology development, financial sector activities, and FinTech innovations.

Sophea added that the FinTech Law integrates both financial and digital legal components, with the ministry aiming to make the regulatory framework more accessible to the public.

The FinTech Lexicon contains nearly 2,000 terms in Khmer, English, and French, drawn from official documents and terminology approved by the National Khmer Language Council. It is designed as a strategic reference tool to strengthen human capital in the financial technology sector.