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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 19 October 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 share markets mostly slipped on Monday as unease over AI's enormous funding needs undermined confidence ahead of a week packed with earnings, while Chinese economic data pipped forecasts in a positive for world growth.
- Japan's Nikkei fell 0.7%, after losing 5.4% last week. South Korea added 0.6%, having shed more than 14% last week, while Taiwan fell 1.1%.
- MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan eased 0.2%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 3.8 points or 0.61% to 614.44.
- Total trade volume was down with 322,235 shares changing hands at a total value of 2.29 billion riel or over $563,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, two stocks were up, led by Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, while four stocks were down with ACLEDA Bank Plc as the biggest loser of the day. Over on the growth board, all stocks stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD remained stable at 4,067 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 100.93.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices slipped from a five-month high on Monday as investors took profits after US President Donald Trump waived sanctions and tariffs on Russia that may lead to more Russian fuel exports.
- Brent crude futures fell 2.08% to $107.57 US dollars a barrel after settling at its highest since May 19 on Friday. US West Texas Intermediate crude was at $99.46 US dollars a barrel, down 1.92%, after closing at its highest since September 17 on Friday. (0619 GMT)
- Gold edged higher on Monday as softer oil prices tempered some inflation concerns, while investors assessed recent US economic data and the outlook for U.S. Federal Reserve interest rates later this year.
- Spot gold rose 0.4% to $4,181.84 US dollars per ounce, while US gold futures for December delivery gained 0.5% to $4,202.70 US dollars. (0741 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin fell 1.37% over 7 days to $82,620.85 US dollars and now holds 0.48% above support at $82,226.2 US dollars, with the nearest resistance at $86,602.6 dollars.
- Moving on now to other related news,
- Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet has welcomed initiatives by Kazakhstan-based companies to promote Cambodia through filmmaking and explore the resumption of tourist flights between Astana and Sihanoukville, aiming to strengthen tourism and people-to-people ties between the two countries. The Prime Minister held separate meetings with the Co-founder and Producer of Daubay Film Production, and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Selfie Travel Asia, on October 17 during his official visit to Kazakhstan. The Co-founder of Daubay Film Production briefed the Cambodian Prime Minister on her company's four-month film production activities in Cambodia, which covered Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. She expressed deep gratitude to the Cambodian government, particularly the Ministry of Tourism, for its support and facilitation. Separately, the Chief Executive Officer of Selfie Travel Asia informed Prime Minister Hun Manet about his company's core business in aviation and tourist transportation services. He said Selfie Travel Asia had previously operated tourist flights from Astana to Sihanoukville before suspending the service in 2024 and expressed the company's intention to resume the route, seeking the Cambodian government’s support to ensure smooth and commercially viable operations.
- Official stats from Cambodia’s Ministry of Commerce show that total foreign trade grew 22.1% year-on-year to $58.49 billion US dollars in the first nine months of 2026. Exports climbed 18% to $27.47 billion US dollars, while imports rose 26% to $31.01 billion US dollars. China retained its position as the nation's top trading partner, with bilateral trade expanding 23.8% to $17.58 billion US dollars, according to the General Department of Customs and Excise. During this period, Cambodian shipments to China surged 28.7% to $1.52 billion US dollars, and imports from China increased 23.3% to $16.06 billion US dollars.
- My Digital Cambodia, the third flagship event under B2B Asia News’ ‘Powered By Cambodia’ campaign, was held from October 17–18, at AEON Mall Sen Sok City, focused on spotlighting everyday digital tools in Cambodia. The interactive exhibition brought together public institutions, financial leaders, e-commerce pioneers, tech innovators and everyday citizens to experience digital tools across five key zones: PAY, SHOP, VERIFY, BUILD, and IMPROVE LIFE. Over the course of two days, visitors engaged directly with exhibitors, experiencing live demonstrations of document authentication and device verification tools, digital payment systems, e-commerce platforms, and other practical solutions transforming accessibility to pharmaceutical services and delivering smart tools for everyday management. The event successfully demonstrated that digital transformation in Cambodia is driven not only by policy and infrastructure, but by everyday personal adoption.
Watch the 19 October 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: