Cambodia crackdown locks out 16 crypto exchanges

• Cambodia has intensified its digital assets regulatory measures.
• It has placed a ban on 16 popular cryptocurrency exchange platforms.

Cambodia has reportedly blocked websites of 16 crypto exchanges amid regulatory efforts to combat potential crypto related crime.  Among those blocked are Binance and Coinbase.

Binance is the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and global user count, while Coinbase is the largest US-based crypto exchange.

Cambodia’s crackdown on unregistered exchanges

In a move to regulate the crypto space, the Cambodian government requires the exchanges to obtain a legal licence from the country’s Security and Exchange Regulator and the said exchanges failed to do so.

The Cambodian Telecommunication Regulator cited that the 102 sites banned were linked to online gambling. Shockingly, Binance which had signed a partnership with the Cambodian authorities in 2022, is among those whose sites are inaccessible following the TRC ban.

However, despite this ban, most of the banned exchanges’ mobile apps remain functional.

The National Bank of Cambodia banned the use of cryptocurrency in 2017 though citizens continued to gamble and do online exchanges of the said digital assets. The recent ban, as Nikkei Asia reported , is because the exchanges lack the licenses as required by TRC.

Despite the unfolding development, exchanges and other platforms play a huge role in the development of the country’s growing digital assets economy

Binance presence in Cambodia

In 2022, Binance signed an agreement with SERC to support Cambodia’s digital assets. The exchange went further to cement its presence in the country with a partnership with the conglomerate Royal Group.

Binance is among multiple exchanges that also faced a similar scenario to that reported in Cambodia earlier this year.

In January 2024, Indian authorities banned several platforms for failing to register.

This came a few days after India’s Financial Intelligence Unit pushed for the removal of exchange apps of several crypto exchanges from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It wasn’t until August 2024 that Binance officially reentered the Indian market, paying a $2 million penalty in the process.