20 January 2026 - Daily Update - B2B Asia News

This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 20 January 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. Most Asian stocks fell on Tuesday, extending deep losses from the prior session as investors remained on edge over U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands for Greenland. The Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indexes lost about 1% apiece. China’s Shanghai Shenzhen CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite indexes fell about 0.5% apiece, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng shed 0.3%.
• Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 1.97 points or 0.47%, to 423.87. Total trade volume was up with 158,299 shares changing hands at a total value of 971.2 million riel, over $241,000 US dollars.
• On the main board, only two stocks were up, led by ACLEDA Bank, while only one stock, Pestech Cambodia, was down, and the rest of the main board stayed flat. Over on the growth board, JS Land and Picasso City Garden stayed flat, while DBD Engineering saw a drop of 0.45%.
• Shifting to the exchange rate, the KHR stayed flat at 4,027 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar Index was down to 98.57.
• Turning to global commodities, oil lacked clear direction on Tuesday as markets monitored the U.S. president’s ‌threats of higher tariffs on European nations over his desire to buy Greenland, while a weaker dollar and better than expected economic data from the world's top oil importer China provided a floor to prices. Brent futures for March were down 0.3% at $63.78 US dollars a ‌barrel, while the U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude contract for February was up 0.2% at $59.58 US dollars. (0740 GMT)
• With a rush into save-haven assets, gold jumped past $4,700 dollars per ounce ‌for the first time, while silver traded near a record high. Spot gold gained 1% to $4,717.03 US dollars per ounce. U.S. gold ‌futures for February delivery climbed 2.8% to $4,722.70 US dollars per ounce. (0730 GMT)
• Moving on now to other business-related news,
  The Cambodian government launched the Skills Voucher Programme on January 19, 2026, aimed at strengthening skills development, expanding opportunities, and increasing income for the Cambodian workforce, including those in the informal economy. Under this program, informal economy actors registered on the government’s digital platform will automatically receive an electronic skill voucher valued at KHR 600,000 to pursue skills training at partner institutions of the Skill Development Fund.
• The General Department of Taxation (GDT) has released a notification on the Market Interest Rate for Loans in 2025, regarding the implementation of tax withholding obligations on fringe benefits for loans provided to employees. Based on the average annual lending rates of 12 major domestic commercial banks, the GDT determined that the Khmer riel loans had an annual market interest rate of 9.36 per cent, while US dollar loans had an annual market interest rate of 8.45 per cent.
• The Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (MLMUPC) has announced a major expansion project of the Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, including the construction of a deep-water container terminal. According to the Ministry’s announcement on January 19, the terminal development will take place in three phases between 2023 and 2030, and is funded through concessional loans from the Japanese government.

Watch the 20 January 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: