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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 25 August 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 were rangebound on Tuesday while oil prices held to losses, after threats from the U.S. for an "economic D-Day" of sanctions on Iran turned out to be a damp squib. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside
- Japan was down 0.1%, while Japan's Nikkei reversed early losses to trade 0.3% higher and South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.2%. China's CSI300 blue-chip index was down 0.2%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index eased 0.3%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 26.88 points or 5.45% to 520.31.
- Total trade volume was up with 1,054,448 shares changing hands at a total value of 3.8 billion riel or over $944,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, eight stocks were up, led by Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, while only one stock, Grand Twins International, stayed flat.
- Over on the growth board, all three stocks were up.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened slightly to 4,048 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.02.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices fell to a one-week low on Tuesday as traders shrugged off the latest U.S. sanctions threat against Iran, viewing economic pressure as posing less risk to oil supplies than a military escalation.
- Brent crude futures fell 0.38% to $91.82 US dollars a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 0.48% at $84.60 US dollars. (0810 GMT)
- Gold eased after touching a more than three-month high earlier in the session, as profit-taking and a firmer dollar curbed gains ahead of key U.S. inflation data and remarks from the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair this week.
- Spot gold slipped 0.6% to $4,624.87 US dollars per ounce, after hitting its highest level since May 14 earlier. U.S. gold futures dropped 0.4% to $4,681.50 US dollars. (0808 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin rose above $80,000 dollars to hit a more than three-month high on Tuesday as a soft U.S. dollar, in the wake of moves made by the U.S. Treasury Secretary to calm the bond market, revived momentum in the crypto sector. Ethereum tracked the momentum closely, trading firmly near $2,485 US dollars.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- His Excellency Heng Sour, Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, attended the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Ministry and 6 passenger and goods/food transport service operating companies in Cambodia on "Promoting Job Market Information and Employment Services" on the morning of August 25, at the Ministry's headquarters. The initiative to sign the MoU with these companies was established to create a framework for mutual cooperation. The goal is to promote, broadcast, and facilitate the provision of job information and employment services, as well as the 157 incident hotline system, along with initiatives related to employment and skills development. H.E. Heng Sour stated that this partnership opens a new page of official cooperation, ensuring that the transport and delivery sectors operate even more smoothly. It also provides an opportunity for the Ministry to expand the reach of job broadcasting and labor market information to youth, former workers, and the general public.
- Cambodia and the Export-Import Bank of China have discussed strengthening financial cooperation and investment in strategic infrastructure projects, including the Funan Techo Integrated Water Resources Management Project. H.E. Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice Chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), held a courtesy call and working discussion with a high-level delegation from the Export-Import Bank of China on August 25. During the meeting, H.E. Sun Chanthol expressed gratitude for China's longstanding support for major infrastructure development in Cambodia, describing China as an “Ironclad Friend”. He also updated the delegation on progress on the Funan Techo project and outlined a vision to develop an economic corridor along both sides of the project and connect related infrastructure networks. The development aims to strengthen Cambodia's transport and logistics competitiveness while giving priority to environmental protection and biodiversity, with benefits for communities living along the canal, according to the CDC.
- The Ministry of Environment has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to protect natural resources, restore ecosystems, and improve the livelihoods of communities around the Tonle Sap Lake. The commitment was made during a meeting between the Cambodian Minister of Environment and the WWF Regional Director for Southeast Asia, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Phnom Penh on August 25. In the meeting, the Minister noted that promoting livelihood development in protected areas specifically through giant grass planting initiatives, will help boost community incomes, reduce illegal logging, and provide clean energy options for factories and enterprises. The Minister also stated that the Ministry of Environment has been actively strengthening cooperation with relevant ministries, institutions, authorities at all levels, partner organisations, associations, civil society, and environmental enthusiasts to drive environmental conservation, natural resource protection, and climate change response.
Watch the 25 August 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: