Cambodia virtual and digital asset law final draft

The final draft of Cambodia's Law on the Management of Virtual Assets and Digital Assets is targeted for completion in November 2026, with legislative approval expected by the end of the year. The exact day within the month has not been confirmed, and no specific coins are tied to the milestone.

What is happening

Prime Minister Hun Manet signed a decision on July 8 creating a 26-member inter-ministerial working group to draft the law. The group is co-chaired by a secretary of state from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and a deputy governor of the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC). The Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC) has set out the drafting timeline, and the project is led by Jason de Mink of UK-based D2 Legal Technology, assigned to SERC by the Asian Development Bank.

The work plan called for a framework law by the fourth week of September, with three pillars fully drafted: competent authorities, anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT), and enforcement. SERC said these pillars match the Financial Action Task Force's expectations for virtual asset service providers. The final draft is targeted for November, and the November timing is a target rather than a confirmed date.

The law follows other recent rules. In late September, the NBC and SERC launched a joint oversight framework setting licensing and reporting requirements. Commercial banks licensed by the NBC need central bank approval to offer virtual asset services, while other entities must obtain a SERC license. Authorized firms become reporting entities under the Cambodia Financial Intelligence Unit. The framework builds on NBC rules issued on December 26, 2024, which split crypto assets into two groups (Group 1 covers tokenized traditional financial instruments and stablecoins backed by reference assets; Group 2 covers unbacked crypto assets), and on Prakas 093 of December 30, 2025, which treats digital assets as a type of security and requires service providers to hold a SERC license.

Why it matters

A dedicated law would sit above the existing regulator-level rules and give the sector a statutory basis covering supervision, AML/CFT obligations and enforcement. For exchanges, custodians and other service providers operating in or targeting Cambodia, the final text will show how licensing, reporting and penalties are set out in law.

For holders and traders, the draft is a point to watch for how different asset types are treated, particularly the distinction between backed instruments and unbacked crypto assets already present in NBC rules. The timeline also depends on the legislative process, so the final draft would be one step before approval, not the end of the process. The topic is likely to come up at Black Swan Summit Cambodia, which the NBC and GFTN will host in Phnom Penh on November 15-16.

Key details

• Date: November 2026 (month precision, tentative; legislative approval expected by end of 2026)
• Project: Securities and Exchange Regulator of Cambodia (SERC)
• Coins: none specified
• Category: Regulatory Deadline
• Status: Tentative
• Source: Disruption Banking, "Cambodia crypto regulation enters a decisive quarter ahead of Black Swan Summit Cambodia" (October 16, 2026)