The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) has announced the launch of the BAKONG tourist app with VISA so that foreign tourists travelling in Cambodia can easily make digital payments. They simply download the tourist app on their smartphones to connect with their VISA payment cards, according to the bank.
Payments are made by transferring funds from their VISA accounts to BAKONG by scanning Cambodian QR codes. Chea Serey, the NBC governor, said the feature meant effortless fund transfers and payments, thus eliminating the need for cash at 4 million retailers. She added that the feature boosts efficiency, eliminates the need for cash and enhances the Cambodian travel experience.
The app was originally launched in August 2024 to simplify digital payments and was linked to Mastercard the following November. Cambodia already has millions of mobile app users with Grab, Foodpanda and individual banks already installed. There is also a compulsory non-financial government app FPCS (Foreigners Present in Cambodia System) to record the address of those foreigners who stay longer than 30 days in the country.
Reviewers say the BAKONG tourist app experienced teething problems last year, thus sometimes requiring several attempts to link the app to a QR code. There are also areas throughout Cambodia where the internet signal is weak or intermittent, but the Ministry of Tourism says that giant improvements have been made since Christmas.
Encouragement of the cashless society has been a major theme of Cambodian tourism market as the country seeks to expand its international vacationer numbers. However, cash payments in daily transactions are still the norm with many retailers showing the amount to be paid in either US dollars or the Cambodian riel. It is now government policy to encourage use of the native currency even though the riel cannot be used outside of the country.
