A decade of partnership: Building Cambodia’s financial capability, one conversation at a time
A decade of partnership: Building Cambodia’s financial capability, one conversation at a time
Celebrating 10 years of collaboration between the National Bank of Cambodia and Good Return
In October 2015, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and Good Return joined forces with a shared vision: to strengthen financial capability and consumer awareness nationwide.
Ten years on, this collaboration has grown into a powerful force for change. Together, NBC and Good Return have reached millions of people through innovative nation-wide campaigns, digital learning tools, and inclusive financial education programs..
Starting the Conversation: Let’s Talk Money
The journey began with a simple but powerful idea: the “Let’s Talk Money” initiative. Launched in March 2016, this campaign encouraged young Cambodians to open up about financial topics that were often avoided — how to negotiate, choose wisely, and manage money responsibly. Through six engaging videos broadcast on TV, radio, Facebook, and via SMS, the campaign reached over 1.5 million people, sparking more than 26,000 household conversations and direct engagement with schools and garment factories.
It was a pivotal moment. For the first time, financial education felt relatable — woven into everyday life through stories, characters, and humour. The campaign showed that talking about money could be empowering.
From Phones to Comics: Financial Literacy for Every Age
In the same year, the Viamo and Cellcard 3-2-1 Financial Education Service extended the reach of the partnership to mobile users, providing accessible financial tips on savings and loans through a free call service. This was a critical step in bringing financial literacy into the hands — and pockets — of everyday Cambodians, particularly those outside formal education systems.
Then came “Let’s Talk Money – Comic Books” in 2017, a colourful series designed for children aged 8–12. With engaging stories and self-guided Q&As, the comics introduced concepts like budgeting and saving in a fun, digestible way. Distributed through government schools and integrated into the NBC-Edu app in 2018, these resources empowered teachers and parents to guide young learners toward financial confidence.
The app, in collaboration with Visa, represented a major innovation in digital learning — a collaboration that fused storytelling with interactivity, ensuring that the lessons from the Let’s Talk Money campaign could reach even the most remote classrooms.
Growing Financial Confidence, Little by Little
Between 2021 and 2023, the “Let’s Talk Money – Little by Little” campaigns deepened the focus on real-world financial challenges. The first phase, launched in 2021, reached over 2 million people through radio, TV, social media, and face-to-face training. Targeting rural adults and women entrepreneurs, it addressed critical themes such as financial preparedness, shared decision-making, and rights and responsibilities in financial transactions.
The results were tangible: one of the target groups, garment factory workers, shared comments like “the videos reflect my life, I feel inspired to prepare for my future”, and an impressive 95% said that they found the videos valuable. Across the broader target group, awareness of financial preparedness jumped from 21% to 49%, and more than half of participants reported greater trust in financial institutions. The core takeaway being the power of savings — a simple yet transformative habit that resonated deeply across communities.
Phase two in 2022–2023 shifted attention to digital financial literacy, equipping garment factory workers with the skills to manage money and savings in a digital world. Using interactive sessions, social media groups, and Good Return’s hands-on “My Money Tracker” tool, the campaign connected learning with practice. The initiative reached over 13,000 people across platforms, showing how peer learning — especially through social media platforms, Facebook and Telegram — could extend the impact far beyond the classroom.
As expressed by Mr Em Kamnan (see video on right), Deputy Director General of Banking Supervision, National Bank of Cambodia (NBC), “The “Let’s Talk Money!” campaign was created for some essential reasons…the number of Cambodian people who use financial services is increasing every day, however, the financial literacy rate of Cambodians was quite low before the campaign existed… (and) informal financial service providers such as money lenders have caused some problems and confusion to people who have little understanding of financial knowledge, (and lastly) Cambodia has a high rate of young people using financial services. It is very crucial that they need to have financial knowledge so that they can manage their money better to ensure a better life.”
Looking Ahead
The next chapter in the “Let’s Talk Money” series is called “Save and Grow” which continues to push boundaries. Only recently launched, the campaign aims to reach 90,000 women micro-entrepreneurs and PwDs over three years through bite-sized digital learning modules, using chatbot technology and social media.
Another initiative currently unfolding is Loan Comics. These arose due to a growing number of complaints about loans being received on NBC’s hotline — from misunderstanding terms to facing pressure from illegal lenders. In response, Good Return and NBC created fun and informative comics, designed to help consumers understand borrowing responsibly and protect themselves from predatory practices.
The first two comics, ”Look Before You Leap” and “To Consider”, tested with scores of people during national financial events, received an astounding 99% positive feedback. These resources blend storytelling with practical lessons on credit, guarantor responsibilities, and digital safety — a creative continuation of the partnership’s legacy of making complex financial topics simple and accessible.
By integrating financial education with digital innovation and partnerships with financial service providers, this phase ensures sustainability and scale. It represents the future of financial capability — interactive, inclusive, and integrated into the tools people already use.
A Decade of Impact — and Beyond
From its beginnings in 2015, the NBC–Good Return partnership has grown into a dynamic transformative engine. It has pioneered how financial education can be localised, digitised, and democratised. Over ten years, it has reached millions, built trust, empowered women, engaged youth, and set new standards for financial capability in the region.
As Cambodia looks to the future, this partnership continues to embody a simple truth: when people understand money, they gain more than knowledge — they gain choice, confidence, and the power to shape their own futures.