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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 2 April 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 stocks plunged on Thursday as oil prices surged over 4% following President Trump's address, which diminished hopes for a quick end to the Iran conflict.
- The MSCI gauge of EM Asia equities dropped 2.3%.
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2.4%. South Korea’s KOSPI dropped 5.5%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 1.43 points or 0.33% to 432.49.
- Total trade volume was up with 137,185 shares changing hands at a total value of 760.1 million riel, or over $190,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, four stocks were down, with ACLEDA Bank as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering was up, Picasso City Garden was down and JS Land stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD strengthened to 3,999 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 100.11.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices climbed nearly 7% on Thursday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would continue attacks on Iran, stoking fears of prolonged disruptions to oil supply.
- Brent crude futures were up 7.6% to $108.81 US dollars per barrel.
- U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were up 7.1% at $107.18 US dollars per barrel. (0902 GMT)
- Gold fell sharply from two-week highs on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump said that Washington would continue its military campaign in Iran in the coming weeks, driving oil prices higher and dampening hopes of interest rate cuts.
- Spot gold declined over 2.8% at $4,622.59 US dollars per ounce, after falling over 4% earlier and snapping a four-day winning streak.
- U.S. gold futures slid 3.4% to $4,649 US dollars. (0719 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, cryptocurrencies fell across the board. Bitcoin dropped as much as 2.5 per cent to roughly $66,500 US dollars. Smaller tokens took a bigger hit, with Ether down as much as 4.5 per cent and Solana falling as much as 5.1 per cent.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- Cambodia is seeking to secure a proposed $2 billion US dollar investment framework with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), following a high-level meeting in Phnom Penh on April 1. The initiative was discussed during a meeting between the Minister of Economy and Finance and the AIIB President, who is on her first official visit to Cambodia. The discussions focused on the Country Cooperation Framework (CCF) for 2026-2030, expected to guide investments across priority sectors.
- The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) and the Japan-Cambodia Association (JCA) held a meeting on April 1 to discuss progress on economic cooperation, investment promotion, and the further strengthening of ties between Cambodia and Japan. According to the CDC, the delegation from the Japan-Cambodia Association were briefed on the progress made by the Cambodia-Japan Business Co-Creation Team. This newly established mechanism serves as an efficient platform for coordinating and fostering joint business opportunities between Cambodian and Japanese investors.
- The Minister of Commerce and Minister of Women's Affairs presided over the official launch ceremony of the "#MadeByHer" campaign on April 2. The Minister of Commerce highlighted a unified spirit and shared resolve to promote national products, specifically those created by women. In the current context, this initiative requires the active participation of all stakeholders, rooted in the spirit of solidarity, fraternity, and mutual support.
Watch the 2 April 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: