Southeast Asia / Verified 2026-07-13

Is crypto legal in Cambodia?

Restricted

Cambodia has moved from informal central-bank discouragement to a defined but narrow licensing regime. The National Bank of Cambodia's Prakas B7-024-735 (26 Dec 2024) lets licensed banks and payment institutions handle only 'Group 1' crypto-assets (tokenized securities and NBC-approved stablecoins) under strict exposure caps, while the Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia's Prakas 093 (30 Dec 2025) created a licensing regime for Digital Asset Service Providers and Agents. Two domestic platforms, Royal Group Exchange (RGX) and Cambodian Network Exchange (CNX), now operate legally with retail KYC onboarding — RGX reportedly signed up thousands of investors in its first year — while access to unlicensed offshore exchanges (Binance and others) has been blocked at the network level since November 2024. Trading and holding crypto is achievable, but only through these gated, licensed domestic channels. A 2018 joint statement nominally still labels all unlicensed crypto trading illegal, and no statute directly addresses an individual's right to self-custody crypto acquired outside the licensed platforms, so that narrower question remains unresolved.

Tax treatment

Undefined under statute — not one of the 6 named Capital Asset categories in the new CGT Prakas; informally treated by tax authorities as an intangible property asset.

No cryptocurrency-specific tax law exists. Cambodia's tax authority (GDT) is understood, per legal/industry commentary rather than a published instruction, to treat crypto gains as intangible-property income taxable under general Tax-on-Income principles. Separately, Cambodia's new general Capital Gains Tax (Prakas No. 496 MEF.PRK), phasing in from 1 January 2026 at a flat 20% rate, lists only six statutory Capital Asset categories — immovable property, leases, investment assets, goodwill, intellectual property, and foreign currency — and does not name cryptocurrency or digital assets among them, so whether crypto gains fall under this new regime is undefined. Multiple sources describe individual-level enforcement as minimal to date.

No crypto-specific GDT form, schedule, or instruction has been published. Individuals with crypto gains would have to self-assess under general income-tax/property principles with no confirmed filing pathway or enforcement track record — get current guidance from a Cambodia-licensed tax advisor before filing.

Can banks handle crypto here?

Since NBC Prakas B7-024-735 (Dec 2024), licensed commercial banks may handle only 'Group 1' crypto-assets (tokenized securities and NBC-approved stablecoins) within strict exposure caps, and are barred from holding 'Group 2' unbacked cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, on their own books. For everyday retail banking, transfers identified as crypto-related are commonly flagged or frozen by major banks, pushing customers toward the licensed domestic exchanges or informal peer-to-peer transfers via mobile-banking apps instead.

Buying and selling crypto in Cambodia

Legal on-ramp runs through KYC'd accounts on Cambodia's two licensed platforms, Royal Group Exchange (RGX) and Cambodian Network Exchange (CNX), which require national ID, proof of address, and proof of income, with reported daily limits around $5,000 per person. Cambodia's telecom regulator blocked direct access to major unlicensed offshore exchanges (Binance and others) in November 2024. In a heavily dollarized economy, informal P2P trades funded through mobile-banking QR transfers reportedly remain a common workaround but sit outside the licensed framework.

Worth knowing

Historically Cambodia's crypto stance was 'informally discouraged but not comprehensively banned' — that description is now dated. Since Dec 2024/Dec 2025, real institutional (NBC) and exchange (SERC) licensing regimes exist, with operating licensed platforms and real retail sign-ups, which is why this profile is 'restricted' rather than 'unclear.' What remains genuinely unresolved is narrower: (1) whether an individual's self-custodied crypto or offshore/P2P holdings outside the licensed platforms are themselves legal, since no statute addresses personal possession directly and a 2018 joint statement nominally still calls unlicensed trading illegal; and (2) how crypto gains are taxed, since the new general Capital Gains Tax law does not name digital assets among its 6 covered categories.

Authority sources used

Outbound links are included for verification and entity authority, not decoration. Every claim on this page traces back to one of these.

FAQ

Is it legal for an individual in Cambodia to buy and hold cryptocurrency?

Buying and trading crypto through Cambodia's two licensed platforms, Royal Group Exchange and Cambodian Network Exchange, operates within a real regulatory framework introduced in 2024-2025. Simply holding crypto in a personal wallet acquired outside those platforms sits in a legal gray area: no statute directly addresses individual self-custody, and a 2018 government statement nominally still labels unlicensed trading illegal.

Do I have to pay tax on crypto gains in Cambodia?

There is no crypto-specific tax law. Cambodia's tax authority has signaled crypto could be taxed as intangible-property income, and a new general capital gains tax took effect in phases from January 2026 at 20%, but its published list of six covered asset categories does not name cryptocurrency, and enforcement against individuals has reportedly been minimal so far. Get personalized advice from a local tax professional.