Sathapana Bank on March 1 honoured 129 graduates from its "I'm Financially Literate" (IFL) programme in a ceremony held at the leading Cambodian commercial bank's headquarters.

The IFL Graduation Ceremony at Sathapana Tower in Phnom Penh celebrated the graduates, who all run small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) in the Kingdom.

The event was attended by Sathapana Bank CEO Fung Kai Jin, Khmer Enterprise CEO H.E Dr Chieng Vanmunin, Manulife Cambodia Chief Partnership Distribution Officer Prou Sythan, Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia CEO Wong Keet Loong and Sathapana's Chief Transformation Officer Jennifer Lee.

“We are proud that this programme was the first of its kind designed to give business owners the knowledge and practical tools they need to make sound financial decisions for their business.

"Our goal was simple – we wanted to create an impactful financial literacy programme to help entrepreneurs better understand their finances in order to improve their business," said Fung Kai Jin.

To enable and champion the Kingdom's entrepreneurs with the IFL programme, Sathapana Bank teamed up with likeminded partners Khmer Enterprise, the Credit Guarantee Corporation of Cambodia (CGCC) and Manulife Cambodia.

The IFL executive programme is the culmination of a long-term initiative Sathapana has been working on with its partners to provide non-financial services to address the unmet needs of SME and MSME owners – particularly in the Women in Business (WIB) segment – and the problems they face.

With the programme, Sathapana delivered five cohorts of more than 150 business owners, with the bank expressing its delight at creating a community classroom where the owners of SMEs and MSMEs could come together to learn as well as network.

With IFL having achieved the goal of addressing some of the biggest barriers for women entrepreneurs in maintaining or scaling up their business,Ms. Jennifer Lee said the programme would continue in 2023.

“This year, we will continue to provide the IFL programme, guidance and inspiration with our commitment and dedication to support and empower Cambodian women, especially Women in Business, to help them grow their businesses and networks, and achieve their goals.

"We will continue to improve and enhance the IFL programme in 2023, ensuring it delivers even more positive impacts, and to provide solid business training and the necessary managerial skills to business owners," she said.

About Sathapana Bank

Sathapana Bank is a leading commercial bank in Cambodia, with total assets of more than $2.4 billion and over 4,4000 employees.

It boasts an extensive branch network nationwide with more than 170 branches, three Sathapana Premier Banking halls and more than 300 ATMs.

It provides complete banking services, including loans, deposits, iBanking, Mobile Banking, debit and credit cards, trade finance, domestic and foreign remittances, cross-border fund transfers with SWIFT, Visa B2B Connect and Western Union, among others.

Sathapana Bank also offers tax collection services and public service payments with the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation, and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training.

It cooperates with mobile payment providers such as WING, Pi Pay, TrueMoney, Ly Hour Veluy, eMoney and Bakong to further customer convenience.

Recently, Sathapana Bank won two prestigious awards – “Best Mobile Banking App Awards 2022” and “Mobile Banking and Payment Initiative of the Year” – from the UK-based Global Brands Magazine.

It was also honoured at the “Asian Banking & Finance Retail Banking Awards” for its newly revamped mobile banking app, Sathapana Mobile.

These two awards are a testament to the bank’s continuous efforts and commitment to serve customers better as the need for mobile banking services continues to grow, with digital experiences like Sathapana Mobile part of the Cambodian lifestyle.