Digital payments are rapidly gaining ground in Cambodia

05/06/2022

 

In its Consumer Payment Attitudes 2021 study¹, Visa highlights a rapidly changing payment landscape in Cambodia, with cash losing ground to digital alternatives. Fourteen percent of Southeast Asian consumers currently do not use cash and this trend is led by consumers in Cambodia (36%).

Going by broad categories, e-wallets and cards are predominant in the market. They are used by around 4 out of 10 Cambodians today and 14 percent of the population have both e-wallets and cards. QR payment and card swipe/insert outpaced other cashless categories both in annual growth and market penetration.

Ms. Monika Chum, Visa Country Manager for Cambodia said: “Cambodians are quickly taking to digital payments, relishing the convenience and security they bring. Visa is offering all stakeholders the solutions and the insights to find their footing in Cambodia’s budding digital economy.”

There is a clear age divide in the payment landscape, with the majority of those preferring cash (78%) being the elderly. Meanwhile, cashless alternatives are most popular among the youngest age groups (Gen Z and Gen Y), over 21 percent of whom prefer QR payments. Card payments are more evenly liked among the generations.

Dedicated user bases – those using a payment method at least four times a week – are the strongest for QR payments and card online with one in five consumers currently using them. Meanwhile, almost half of contactless cards are used at least once a week. In addition, Cambodia leads Southeast Asia with the most first-time users of mobile banking apps during the pandemic (29%).

Indeed, card swipe/insert penetration has reached 23 percent in the market, more than double last year. Meanwhile, almost 4 out of 10 consumers are interested in trying contactless cards. Interest is strongest among Gen Z and Gen Y consumers, where more than one-third of consumers would like to use them.

“Contactless cards are the latest payment innovation growing in popularity in Cambodia, offering a faster, safer and more convenient transaction experience. Consumers, especially the younger generations are eager to see wider acceptance and more contactless payment solutions. As the trusted engine of commerce, Visa wants to use the diverse capabilities of our network to enable individuals, businesses and economies to thrive,” added Ms. Monika Chum.

 

 

¹ The Visa Consumer Payment Attitudes Study was prepared by CLEAR in Aug-Sep 2021, surveyed amongst 6,520 consumers in Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The study conducted face-to-face interviews with 520 Cambodian consumers across the country who are working part or full time with a demographic mix that sought to create a representative mix of ages and genders.

 

About Visa Inc.

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories each year. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com