Cambodia is, at present, listed as one of the 50 most underdeveloped countries. In recent years, unique attention has been given to emigrants sending money to Cambodia. In less than a decade, sending currency overseas to Cambodia has more than tripled. In 2007, The World Bank estimated $322 million in payments.
Because of the rapid growth of such payments, remittances now account for more than 4.1 % of national gross domestic product (GDP). As it stands, the top ten destinations to transfer money to include: Canada and the United States, as well as France, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, Japan and Lao PDR. Other popular destinations include neighboring Asian countries: Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea.
Though a tremendous amount of money is being transferred, interestingly, most of the money is sent to rural destinations. Economically speaking, the unemployment rate is low compared to other developing countries, at 2.5% of similar ilk. However, the poverty level in 2004 published reports was estimated at 66%, before dropping to 35% in 2007.
A contributing factor to this economic change may indirectly have to do with increased funds and money transfer. Though the decrease is apparent, the poverty level still remains somewhat staggering with over 75% of the labor workforce doing traditionally low paying jobs like agriculture and farming.
The unemployment rate in Cambodia is 2.5%. This is relatively low compared to most developing countries. Even with a high employment rate, the poverty level dropped from 66% in 2004 to 35% in 2007. This may be due to most of the nation working in the agricultural industry which traditionally pays very low wages. The main sources of income are tourism and manufacturing. Cambodia’s garment industry has risen 10% last year.
The money is sent mostly to rural areas for daily living expenses it seems, averaging at approximately $200-$300 per month. Most families are struggling just to get by, and only a minimal amount is used towards luxuries like education and investment.
It is supposed now that with lower transfer costs and increased formal transfer service usage the total payments could considerably increase. Traditionally, in the past, international bank transfer has been the foremost used method. The expenditure(s) are estimated at around 10-30% of the money transfer desired. The surge of web-based online remittance services have competitively driven down the cost of sending money to Cambodia, in fact.
To facilitate online transfers, the sender can easily sign up via any transfer companys website. The online rechargeable ATM/debit card is sent to the receivers home via FedEx, in most cases. There are brand new ATM locations set up every day through which people can transfer money to Cambodia on a regular and continual basis. The town of Phnom Penh alone has over 160 machines.
The process is simple when wanting to enroll: Call either the companys toll-free telephone number or via the internet, both of which are accessible 24 hours a day. The rechargeable debit card is also sent via rapid mail service and can be refilled as needed. In addition to this, all transactions viewed online, just like a bank account allows.
Online renewable debit cards have driven down the amount it costs to send money to Cambodia. Convenience, security makes them the preferred choice for people transferring funds to Cambodia.