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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 21 July 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 mostly gained on Tuesday, with markets in South Korea and Japan trading higher after recent declines due to heavy selling of stocks linked to artificial intelligence.
- South Korea’s Kospi, which is heavily reliant on AI and chipmaking-related shares, jumped 3.6%.
- Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 added 3% after a holiday on Monday, recovering from some of its losses from last week.
- Taiwan’s Taiex, which also has benefited from the AI boom, was up 4.2%. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng edged less than 0.1% higher. The Shanghai Composite index added 1.4%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 2.04 points or 0.45% to 452.82. Total trade volume was up with 461,633 shares changing hands at a total value of 1.86 billion riel or over $460,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, three stocks were up, led by Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, while three stocks were down with Phnom Penh Autonomous Port as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, Picasso City Garden was up and JS Land was down, while DBD Engineering stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened to 4,040 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 101.93.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices lost more than 1% on Tuesday as markets weighed reports of mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran against an exchange of fresh attacks between the two and threats of a naval blockade of Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthis. Brent crude futures fell 1.4% to $88.01 US dollars a barrel.
- The front-month US West Texas Intermediate crude contract was down 1.1% at $82.29 US dollars. The more active contract for September delivery dropped 1.2% to $81.53 US dollars. (0815 GMT)
- Gold prices rose more than 1% as investors weighed diplomatic efforts to ease the U.S.-Iran conflict, which could temper oil-driven inflation risks and influence the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest rate path.
- Spot gold rose 1.6% to $4,071.59 US dollars per ounce U.S. gold futures for August delivery were up 1.5% at $4,076.00 US dollars. (0750 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin rose 2.6% to a two-week high of $65,755.4 US dollars.
Ether rose 4.6% to $1,934.71 US dollars, while XRP rose 4.6%, and Solana added 3.9%.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- The General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia (GDCE) collected approximately $1.5 billion US dollars in revenue during the first half of this year, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.5 percent. The report on tax revenue collection was presented during a meeting held on July 21 under the presidency of H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. This revenue represents approximately 51.6 percent of the target set in the 2026 Financial Management Law. Notably, revenue from fuel and gas declined due to the government absorbing the tax and duty burden on these imports since March 20.
- More than 180 leading American companies represented by the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council (USABC) have expressed strong interest in expanding investment in Cambodia, underscoring growing confidence in the Kingdom's economic potential and improving Cambodia-U.S. relations. The message was shared by Brian D. McFeeters, President and Chief Executive Officer of the USABC, during a courtesy meeting with the President of the Senate of Cambodia, Hun Sen, at the Senate's Solidarity Palace in Phnom Penh on July 21. McFeeters said the USABC represents more than 180 member companies, many of which are actively seeking investment opportunities across ASEAN, with Cambodia emerging as one of their key destinations.
- The National Institute of Business (NIB) has launched a major vocational training initiative, offering 1,035 scholarship slots across 10 distinct majors for youth from poor and vulnerable families. The programme is part of the Royal Government of Cambodia’s nationwide "TVET 1.5M" initiative, which aims to provide technical and vocational education and training to 1.5 million underprivileged youth. In addition to free tuition, eligible students will receive a monthly cash stipend from the Royal Government. According to the NIB, an institution under the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training, the 10 available majors span several technical and service sectors: Computer Graphic Design, Computer Services, Administrative Services, Customer Services, Digital Technology Installation and Implementation, Computer Network Installation and Maintenance, Business Creation and Entrepreneurship, Online Sales Services, Baking, and Beverage Business.
Watch the 21 July 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: