Cambodia Securities Exchange ( CSX ) says average daily trading values in 2024 shrank 35% from a year earlier, although the number of new trading accounts climbed to 12,745, up from 11,890 in 2023.

“There has been a noticeable increase gradually in local investor participation,” says an annual market review released on January 13.

CSX, a joint venture between the Ministry of Economy and Finance and  Korea Exchange, says local investors accounted for 93% of trading volume last year, up from 86% in the previous year.

For the remaining 7% attributed to foreign investors, Taiwanese investors led with almost 40% followed by investors from Japan ( 21% ), China ( 14% ) and Thailand ( 5% ).

Ten of the 11 listed stocks declined in value last year with the CSX Index falling from 473 points at the end of 2023 to 413 points at the end of 2024.

The decline in stock prices reflected a downturn in Cambodia’s real-estate sector and lower domestic consumption amid increased reports of investment fraud, the exchange says.

Among strategic plans for 2025, CSX says it aims to double daily trading value from US$134,000 last year to around US$300,000, add 15,000 new trading accounts and list at least six new companies.

It also plans to launch Cambodia’s first exchange-traded funds ( ETFs ) this year.