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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 23 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 tech stocks slowed their drop on Friday following a steep selloff on Wall Street. Concerns over the huge costs of AI panicked investors, driving the biggest one-day jump in U.S. Treasuries in over three years.
- MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares excluding Japan was last flat after earlier falling as much as 0.8% as bargain hunting emerged following the steep selloff.
- Japan's Nikkei dropped 0.5% and was down 4.1% for the week. South Korea's KOSPI managed to eke out a 0.1% gain after shedding 4% earlier in the session. Mainland China's blue-chips found support after hitting the lowest since July 2025, with the CSI300 up 0.8%. Hong Kong's Hang Seng also rose 0.7% after dropping 3% yesterday.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 2.42 points or 0.39% to 613.73.
- Total trade volume was up with 263,347 shares changing hands at a total value of 1.44 billion riel or over $356,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, no stocks were up, while five stocks were down with Pestech Cambodia as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering and JS Land were down, while Picasso City Garden was up.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened slightly to 4,079 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 101.80.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices rose over 1% on Friday after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked concerns of further disruption to energy supplies from the Middle East. Brent crude futures climbed 1.2% to $114.47 US dollars a barrel , while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 1.4% to $100.84 US dollars. (0639 GMT)
- Gold eased on Friday, headed for its steepest weekly decline in over four months as elevated oil prices bolstered higher-for-longer interest rate expectations, while investors awaited next week's U.S. Federal Reserve policy meeting.
- Spot gold eased 0.1% to $4,021.04 US dollars per ounce, paring losses slightly after touching its lowest level since July 20 earlier in the session. The metal has fallen 3.6% so far this week, putting it on track for its worst week since June. US gold futures for December delivery dropped 0.8% to $4,028.00. (0554 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin’s price fell below $82,000 US dollars, declining 0.97% to $81,449.88 US dollars as renewed selling followed its rejection near $85,000 US dollars.
- Moving on now to other business related news,
- The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the Global Finance & Technology Network (GFTN) announced Black Swan Summit Cambodia 2026, which will be held in Phnom Penh from November 15–16, under the theme “Disruptive by Design”. The summit will be held alongside the Francophonie Summit and will bring together policymakers, financial institutions, technology companies, investors and relevant stakeholders to explore how technology and financial innovation can strengthen connections between Southeast Asia with Francophone economies across Africa, Europe and other regions. At its centre is a defining question for developing economies: Can emerging markets leapfrog legacy financial infrastructure and build systems designed for their own needs? Cambodia provides a practical case study for this discussion.
- Cambodia exported 15 million tonnes of agricultural products to international markets in the first ten months of 2026, with both volume and quality improving. The Director of the Department of Plant Protection, Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) under the General Directorate of Agriculture in Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, shared these remarks on October 23 at the Cambodia Agriculture Forum and Exhibition 2026 (CAFE26), held at the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre in Phnom Penh. The event brought together agricultural experts, development partners and private-sector representatives to share experience, knowledge and new technologies to support the sector’s growth. The Cambodian government has given priority to the agricultural sector, supporting sustainable agricultural development, protecting consumer health and the environment, safeguarding food security, and improving the competitiveness of Cambodia’s agricultural trade, both domestically and internationally.
- The Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (ARDB), in cooperation with the Federation of Associations for SMEs of Cambodia (FASMEC), will organise the 1st National Forum on Financing for MSMEs 2026 to boost financial access and growth in Cambodia from October 27 to 28 at the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre. Under the theme “MSMEs’ Access to Finance”, the forum aims to enhance MSMEs’ knowledge and readiness regarding sources of finance, lending requirements, loan application procedures, credit history management and the preparation of accurate and complete financial information and documents. It is also designed to understand the challenges and gaps between MSMEs’ financing needs and the supply of finance, in order to identify appropriate solutions and improve the efficiency of financing delivery. Furthermore, the forum will raise awareness of financing options and innovations, including financing from the banking and non-bank financial sectors, credit guarantee mechanisms, capital mobilisation and the use of data and digital platforms, to expand access to finance.
Watch the 23 October 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: