Phnom Penh, January 15, 2026 – Maybank Cambodia and Khmer Entrepreneurs (KE) have officially sealed a strategic partnership aimed at significantly strengthening support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) across Cambodia. This collaboration underscores a shared commitment to fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth throughout the nation.
The signing ceremony for this pivotal Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) took place at Maybank’s headquarters in Phnom Penh. The event was graced by the presence of Mr. Rath Sophoan, Chief Executive Officer and Country Head of Maybank Cambodia, and Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin, Delegate of the Royal Government serving as Chief Executive Officer of Khmer Entrepreneurs.
This partnership marks a significant step towards cultivating a more robust and sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem for entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs nationwide. Through this cooperative framework, both institutions will work closely to enhance access to finance, reinforce business capabilities, and improve the overall business and financial readiness of SMEs in a systematic and phased approach.
Commenting on the newly formed alliance, Mr. Rath Sophoan emphasized, “This cooperation signifies a crucial milestone in Maybank’s ongoing efforts to support enterprises in Cambodia. This partnership reflects Maybank’s unwavering commitment to providing principled financial services by offering financial solutions, expertise, and long-term partnerships that empower SMEs to achieve sustainable growth.”
Echoing this commitment to ecosystem development, Dr. Chhieng Vanmunin stated, “This partnership represents a major leap forward for Cambodia’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. This collaboration will significantly boost and expand support for SMEs by improving access to financing. Khmer Entrepreneurs also takes this opportunity to call upon other commercial banks to join in supporting the Royal Government’s policies by enhancing financial accessibility, simplifying procedures, and offering more favorable financing terms to contribute to the nation’s economic growth.”
Under the terms of this collaboration, Khmer Entrepreneurs will play a vital role in developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem by promoting financial literacy, facilitating connections between SMEs and Maybank, and creating strategic programs tailored to the specific needs of SMEs. This will ensure they can successfully access financial support. Concurrently, Maybank, in cooperation with Khmer Entrepreneurs, will focus on increasing awareness of financial access for Cambodian SMEs. This will be achieved by sharing best practices in financial management, strengthening SMEs’ readiness to utilize banking services, and providing financing solutions aligned with prevailing conditions.
This strategic partnership highlights Maybank’s dedication as a trusted financial institution, leveraging its regional network and deep understanding of the local context to deliver sustainable financial services. These include efficient financial solutions, insightful local knowledge, and relationship-based banking. Simultaneously, this cooperation will bolster Khmer Entrepreneurs’ mission as a national platform dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs through capacity building, ecosystem development, and facilitating market opportunities and financial access.
Both organizations stressed the critical importance of cross-sector collaboration in strengthening Cambodia’s entrepreneurial landscape. This will enable SMEs to better address their business and financial challenges, enhance their operational resilience, and seize numerous opportunities for development within a well-connected regional economic environment.
Through this strategic partnership, Maybank and Khmer Entrepreneurs reaffirm their shared vision to support entrepreneurs, reinforce SME resilience, and contribute to inclusive economic development. This will ultimately contribute to Cambodia’s long-term economic progress, ensuring that business support remains accessible, responsible, and precisely focused on the genuine needs of Cambodian enterprises and communities.
