Cambodia launches tourist app enabling payments with KHQR

Governor of National Bank of Cambodia Chea Serey (centre)

 during the launch of the Bakong Tourist App in Siem Reap. AKP

The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) on Monday launched the ‘Bakong Tourists App’ helping foreign tourists in Cambodia to make payments using the country’s universal KHQR code at over 3.3 million retail merchant outlets.

NBC Governor Chea Serey presided over the soft launch of the app at a ceremony in Siem Reap, known across the world for its Angkor Wat site.

The event was attended by approximately 150 people, including representatives from various ministries and institutions such as the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Post and Telecommunications and stakeholders from the private sector, said an official statement.

The Bakong Tourists App will contribute to promoting tourism in Cambodia by providing international tourists visiting the country with an electronic means of payment for goods and services efficiently and conveniently.

For this, international tourists simply need to download and install the Bakong Tourists App on their mobile phones upon arrival in Cambodia and then register to create an account using an email.

Tourists can top up their accounts through business partners and make payment transactions by scanning the KHQR code with approximately 3.3 million retail merchants within Cambodia, the statement said.

This will not only give international tourists a new experience with digital cash in Cambodia, but it will also address some of the challenges in the tourism sector.

The Bakong Tourist App is a measure in response to Prime Minister Hun Manet’s directive to address the problem of exchanging even slightly torn or old US banknotes in Cambodia.