National Bank of Canada, ABA Bank, and AUF launch scholarship program for Cambodian students
13/Nov/2026
National Bank of Canada, the shareholder of ABA Bank, in partnership with the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), has launched the Canada-Cambodia Scholarship Program, a new initiative designed to support Cambodian students pursuing study and research opportunities at Canadian universities.
Introduced during the 3rd General Conference of the Asia-Pacific Regional Conference of Rectors (C2R), held at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), the program reflects a shared commitment to developing highly skilled talent and strengthening academic cooperation between Cambodia and Canada.
Funded by National Bank of Canada, the program represents a total investment of CAD 500,000 (approximately USD 365,000) over five years and aims to support up to 40 Cambodian students through academic exchange and research opportunities at eligible Canadian universities.
Under the program, Cambodian students enrolled at AUF member universities will have the opportunity to undertake research placements lasting three to six months. Priority areas include business administration, finance, economics, cybersecurity, management, and artificial intelligence (AI), among other disciplines relevant to the future of the financial sector and digital economy.
The program will be implemented by AUF, which will oversee scholarship promotion, candidate selection, university coordination, participant support, and the language component of the initiative. In line with AUF's mission to promote the Francophonie, scholarship recipients who are not French speakers will also have access to French-language training and certification opportunities.
“We strongly believe that education is one of the most powerful drivers of economic progress. We hope that Cambodian students benefiting from this initiative will return with valuable knowledge, international experience, and new ideas, and will contribute to the development of the country’s economy, businesses, and society,” commented Igor Zimarev, Chief Marketing and CSR Officer at ABA Bank.
As a subsidiary of National Bank of Canada and Cambodia's largest financial institution, ABA Bank serves as a bridge between the two countries, helping facilitate initiatives that contribute to education, innovation, and human capital development.
