Cambodia has lowered its 2026 economic growth forecast to 4.2%. The cut comes as a crackdown on cyber-fraud centres affects parts of the economy tied to construction, real estate and consumer spending.
The enforcement campaign targets online scam networks. Many have been linked to casino sites, hotels and compounds used for illegal gambling, fraud and forced labour.
Growth forecast falls to 4.2%
The government’s new forecast is below the 5.0% growth estimate set in Cambodia’s 2026 budget law. The 2027 forecast was also cut to 5.0%, from an earlier 5.5% projection.
Officials tied the downgrade to several pressures, including rising energy prices, border tensions with Thailand and the cyber-fraud crackdown. The scam campaign is expected to hurt sectors that had absorbed money, workers and demand from fraud-linked activity.
That creates a difficult short-term trade-off for Cambodia. Closing scam operations may help the country’s investment image, but it also removes spending from local areas that had relied on fraud-linked activity.
Scam centres face tougher legal action
Cambodia’s parliament passed its first dedicated cybercrime law in April after years of pressure over scam compounds. The law targets online fraud, organised scam sites, money laundering, unauthorised data collection and recruitment into scam operations.
Penalties include prison terms and fines, with tougher punishment for organised operations or cases involving multiple victims. The harshest cases involving trafficking, violence or death could carry sentences up to life in prison.
The law is part of a larger enforcement campaign. Nearly 200 scam centres have been closed, while authorities have targeted 250 sites and dismantled about 200 since July.
Casino-linked activity remains under scrutiny
The gambling sector is exposed because scam networks in Cambodia have often been linked to casino buildings, former casino developments or illegal online gambling operations. Cambodia has shut 91 casinos as part of the cyber-scam campaign.
Those closures put more pressure on local business activity. They also help separate licensed gambling from fraud-linked operations.
For regulated operators, the near-term impact is difficult. It could still improve the market’s image if enforcement continues.
