Most Influential 2021: Serey Chea

Project Bakong stands apart from other nation digital currency experiments. Chea brought Cambodia’s moonshot into being.

AccessTimeIconDec 9, 2021 at 8:25 p.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 4:31 p.m. UTC
Layer 2

Serey Chea is deputy director general at the National Bank of Cambodia, which is taking a unique approach to a central bank digital currency (CBDC), with its Project Bakong. Chea is adamant that the nation’s digital currency, built on the Hyperledger distributed ledger, isn’t a CBDC, but is working to bring basic financial services to Cambodia, where nearly 80% of the population is unbanked.

CoinDesk - Unknown
(Kevin Ross/CoinDesk)

DISCLOSURE

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.