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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 20 May 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 markets were down across the board today, as oil prices eased slightly on political statements regarding a swift end to the conflict with Iran, though elevated crude levels continued to strain investor risk appetite amid broader inflation woes.
- In Japan, the Nikkei 225 lost 1.2%.
- In South Korea, the Kospi dropped 0.9% after a broad sell-off a day earlier. Taiwan's Taiex gave up 0.4%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 2.11 points or 0.49% to 430.2
- Total trade volume was up with 222,866 shares changing hands at a total value of 1.2 billion riel or over $299,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, four stocks were up, led by ACLEDA Bank, while four stocks were down, with Phnom Penh Autonomous Port as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering and Picasso City Garden were down, while JS Land stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened slightly to 4,022 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.41.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices lost about 1% on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump again asserted that the Iran war will end "very quickly", though investors remain wary about the outcome of peace talks as disruption to Middle Eastern supply continues.
- Brent crude futures fell 1.4% to $109.76 US dollars a barrel and U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 1.3% at $102.79 US dollars. (0831 GMT)
- Gold prices held steady on Wednesday, as pressure from a firm dollar and higher Treasury yields was offset by hopes of a potential resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict, easing some inflation concerns.
- Spot gold was unchanged at $4,480.29 US dollars per ounce, after earlier falling to its lowest level since March 30.
- U.S. gold futures for June delivery lost 0.6% to $4,482.80 US dollars. (0915 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, major cryptocurrencies bounced during Wednesday's Asian trading hours after the U.S. Senate voted 50-47 to curb President Donald Trump’s Iran war powers, easing market uncertainty. Bitcoin climbed to about $77,200 US dollars, while XRP, Ether and Solana also gained.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- The Asian Development Bank and the Trade Policy Advisory Board kicked off a two-day Consultation Workshop on Cambodia’s Trade Resilience and Competitiveness for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on May 20, featuring a blend of interactive training, open discussions, and collaborative group work. On the first day of the workshop, Vijay Kumar Akasam, Head of Country Operations at the Asian Development Bank, highlighted how the workshop builds on the work done by the ADB and the UK FCDO, which supported a gap assessment of two critical chapters of the agreement. H.E. Dr. Sok Siphana, Senior Minister in charge of Special Missions and Chairman of the Trade Policy Advisory Board, also underlined how Cambodia is swiftly moving forward on the CP TPPaccession process.
- The Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology & Innovation (MISTI), together with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD), inaugurated an expanded water supply system in Kampong Cham City on May 20, increasing service coverage to an additional 8,875 families in the area. The $12.98 million dollar project has more than doubled access to the Kampong Cham Water Utility network, increasing the number of people served from 44,955 to 89,030.
- Cambodia and the Netherlands reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening economic and trade cooperation, as bilateral trade between the two countries surpassed $1 billion US dollars. The commitment was highlighted during a farewell visit from the outgoing Ambassador of the Netherlands to Cambodia, to the Cambodian Prime Minister at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on May 20. During the meeting, the Dutch Ambassador expressed satisfaction with the positive progress in bilateral relations, particularly the strong growth in trade and economic cooperation.
Watch the 20 May 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: