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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 16 July 2026, reviewing regional and global markets, and covering the daily business news you shouldn’t miss.
Watch the video in English above.
- We start with a quick look at regional markets. Asian shares fell on Thursday as a sell-off in chipmakers overshadowed stellar earnings from industry bellwether TSMC, while bonds benefited from another benign reading on U.S. inflation that lessened the risk of an imminent rate hike.
- MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slid 1% as South Korea's KOSPI slumped 6.2%.
- Japan’s Nikkei dropped 3%.
- China's Hang Seng Index bucked the trend with a 1.8% gain.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 1.44 points or 0.32% to 451.74.
- Total trade volume was down with 72,390 shares changing hands at a total value of 352.3 million riel or close to $88,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, four stocks were up, led by Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, while two stocks were down with MJQ Education as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering was up, while JS Land and Picasso City Garden remained flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD remained stable at 4,037 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 101.53.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices eased on Thursday as traders weighed escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, and the risks to oil supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
- Brent crude futures were down 0.68% to $84.37 US dollars a barrel, while U.S.
- West Texas Intermediate futures were down 0.23% to $79.42 US dollars a barrel.
- Brent had gained almost $1 dollar earlier in the session and both contracts remain close to one-month highs. (0808 GMT)
- Gold fell as an escalating Middle East conflict fuelled concerns that the U.S. Federal Reserve could hike interest rates this year, overshadowing recent optimism over easing inflation.
- Spot gold was down 0.9% at $4,024.60 US dollars per ounce.
- U.S. gold futures for August delivery lost 0.6% to $4,029.50 US dollars. (0729 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin was down 1.13%, and traded just below $65,000 US dollars early Thursday after South Korea raised interest rates for the first time in over three years.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- The Shandong (Cambodia) Economic and Technological Development Zone is expanding its investment footprint in Cambodia, targeting renewable energy and agro-industry to signal rising Chinese investor confidence. Announced during a Beijing meeting between Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet and zone representative Wu Yujie during Prime Minister Hun Manet’s three-day visit to China from July 15 to July 17, the expansion plans will pivot the firm—which has developed industrial parks and cashew projects in the Kingdom since 2012—toward supporting Cambodia’s green transition. Prime Minister Hun Manet welcomed the diversification and urged the firm to expand its agricultural operations into Cambodia's northeastern provinces, highlighting lucrative government policy incentives tailored for regional agro-industrial development.
- Chinese electronics giant Haier Group is partnering with a local firm to establish Cambodia’s first-ever tablet assembly plant, aiming to produce affordable devices to support student learning and digital inclusion for informal workers. Announced during a meeting in Beijing between the Vice Chairman of Haier and Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on July 15, the initiative was warmly welcomed by the Prime Minister, who pledged robust government incentives to ensure the investment's success. Haier currently operates in over 60 countries with a user base of approximately 44 million worldwide.
- Cambodia is advancing a human-centred approach to artificial intelligence (AI), seeking to harness the technology to drive innovation and economic transformation while ensuring it remains grounded in ethics, human dignity and the Kingdom's cultural values. Opening the workshop on "Human-Centred and Ethical Artificial Intelligence for Cambodia" on July 15, H.E. Hem Vanndy, Minister of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation, said AI governance must balance technological advancement with the protection of people, society and Cambodia's cultural identity. The workshop brought together policymakers, academics, technology experts, development partners and private sector representatives to discuss the development of an AI ecosystem that supports innovation while promoting responsible governance, public trust and sustainable development.
Watch the 16 July 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: