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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 17 August 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 edged higher on Monday, led by Chinese stocks ahead of key economic data, while investors kept a wary eye on oil prices after sizeable gains last week amid a stalemate in the Gulf conflict.
- MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.5%, while Japan's Nikkei edged 0.3% higher. Chinese blue-chips rose 0.8% and the Hang Seng index gained 1.6% ahead of China's activity data for July due later in the day.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 6.11 points or 1.3% to 476.33.
- Total trade volume was up with 794,530 shares changing hands at a total value of 5 billion riel or over $1.25 million US dollars.
- On the main board, six stocks were up, led by Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, while only one stock, Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, was down.
- Over on the growth board, JS Land was up, while DBD Engineering and Picasso City Garden stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD remained stable at 4,044 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.41.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices gave up early gains on Monday as stalled U.S.-Iran talks revived concerns over prolonged Middle East tensions, but the absence of major supply outages limited upside.
- Brent crude futures rose as much as 1% to $89.40 US dollars per barrel but were last trading down 24 cents at $89.28 US dollars. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 67 cents to $81.74 US dollars a barrel. (0620 GMT)
- Gold drifted higher, supported by a weaker dollar and recent soft economic data that reduced expectations for a U.S. interest rate hike next month.
- Spot gold rose 0.4% to $4,391.49 US dollars per ounce. Prices hit a more-than-two-month high last week. U.S. gold futures for December delivery edged 0.3% higher to $4,448.40 US dollars. (0520 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin traded around $63,535 US dollars, showing mild consolidation following recent volatility. Ethereum was up 1.01% to $1,898.46 US dollars, with a 7-day up of 1.13%.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI) and the Embassy of Singapore in Phnom Penh launched a five-day training course on August 17 to strengthen food-safety systems, advance agro-processing and help Cambodian enterprises produce higher-quality, export-ready products. The customised course on “Food Processing and Safety” will be held at the Cambodia-Singapore Cooperation Centre (CSCC) from August 17 to 21, bringing together Cambodian officials for training in food-safety management, food preservation, value addition and sustainable food production. The course also supports MISTI’s efforts to strengthen Cambodia’s National Quality Infrastructure—including standards, metrology, accreditation and laboratory testing—and help local micro, small and medium enterprises improve product quality and access regional and international markets.
- On August 14, H.E. Mao Bura, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce, received and held a working discussion with the Executive Vice President of the Haikou Silk Road Academy of Social Sciences. The meeting aimed to strengthen and promote cooperation in trade, investment, and industry under the framework of China's Belt and Road Initiative. The Cambodian Secretary of State provided information and responded to key points raised by the Chinese side regarding understanding Cambodia's agricultural potential, seeking opportunities to connect and establish partnerships between Cambodian and Chinese companies to promote the export of Cambodian agricultural products to the Chinese market, as well as the potential for cooperation in connecting and developing digital systems for the market. In response, the Executive Vice President of the Haikou Silk Road Academy of Social Sciences expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Commerce for allowing him and his delegation to meet for work discussions and exchange relevant information. He also expressed interest in further understanding Cambodia's agricultural potential—especially yellow bananas, cashew nuts, and pepper—to explore the possibility of exporting them to the Chinese market, as well as strengthening cooperation on the use of digital systems to support connectivity and market development between the two countries.
- The Ministry of Rural Development has officially launched the Rural Road Infrastructure Development Strategy 2026–2033, aiming to further strengthen the quality, resilience and connectivity of Cambodia’s rural road network. The launch ceremony was held at the Ministry of Rural Development on August 17 under the presidency of the Minister of Rural Development. The Minister highlighted the Cambodian government’s Pentagonal Strategy-Phase 1 and the National Policy on Rural Development 2025-2035. In line with the first strategic direction of the national policy, the Ministry of Rural Development has been placing high priority on developing quality and resilient rural infrastructure and transport connectivity. The Rural Road Infrastructure Development Strategy 2026–2033 has been developed under the vision of “Building an Interconnected and Resilient Rural Road Network”.
Watch the 17 August 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: