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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 26 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 stocks rose on Wednesday as a drop in oil prices dragged bond yields lower on hopes that the critical Strait of Hormuz may reopen soon, while investors braced for yet another make-or-break earnings report from AI bellwether Nvidia. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was up 0.85%.
- Japan's Nikkei rose 0.7% while the tech-heavy KOSPI gained 1%. Nasdaq futures fell 0.15%, while European futures rose 0.15%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 39.78 points or 7.65% to 560.09.
- Total trade volume was up with 1,968,895 shares changing hands at a total value of 11.1 billion riel or over $2.7 million US dollars.
- On the main board, eight stocks were up, led by CAMGSM, while only one stock, Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, was down. Over on the growth board, all three stocks were up.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD strengthened slightly to 4,047 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.00.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices fell more than $2 dollar a barrel on Wednesday as talks between Iran and Oman revived hopes that the Strait of Hormuz could reopen and remove shipping constraints affecting supply in the key Middle East region.
- Brent crude futures fell 2.6% to $86.28 US dollars a barrel, earlier dropping to their lowest since August 13. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were down 2.53% at $80.29 US dollars, earlier sinking to their lowest since August 10. (0447 GMT)
- Gold slips after scaling a more than three-month high in the previous session, as investors awaited a key U.S. inflation report to gauge the U.S. Federal Reserve's interest-rate path.
- Spot gold fell 0.6% to $4,626.79 US dollars per ounce. Prices climbed to their highest since mid-May on Tuesday after last week's sharp gains following the U.S. Treasury's bond buyback announcement. U.S. gold futures lost 0.2% at $4,683.60 US dollars. (0625 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin has slipped back below $79,000 US dollars after its rapid recovery ran into resistance above$81,000 dollars, leaving traders to assess whether the latest surge marks the start of a more sustained crypto recovery or has simply moved too far too quickly. At the latest check, Bitcoin was trading around $78,800 US dollars, while Ether was near $2,460 US dollars.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) and the Central Bank of Uzbekistan signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in cross-border payment systems between Cambodia and Uzbekistan on August 25. The MoU was signed by the NBC Governor and the Governor of the Central Bank of Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Silk Road Finance & Technology Forum held from August 24 to 26 in Tashkent. The MoU aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two central banks through the exchange of knowledge and experience in four key areas: the development of digital payment and settlement systems; monetary policy and monitoring of macroeconomic conditions; improving the financial climate and knowledge; and the management of economic and monetary museum operations. The expanded cooperation is expected to contribute to strengthening economic, financial, trade and tourism relations between the two countries, while supporting regional and international financial integration.
- Foreign parliamentary delegations have arrived in Cambodia one after another to participate in the 2nd Inter-Parliamentary Speakers’ Conference (ISC-2), being held in Phnom Penh from August 26 to 28. High-level parliamentary delegations from Australia, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Russia arrived in Phnom Penh on the morning of August 26, with additional delegations expected to arrive throughout the afternoon and evening. The ISC-2 will be officially opened on August 27 at the GDT Convention Centre, bringing together delegates from 26 countries and five international organisations.
- Cambodian agricultural and agro-processed products are making increasing inroads into premium international markets and major retail networks, reflecting the Royal Government’s efforts to diversify export markets, expand domestic processing capacity and strengthen national agricultural value chains. Guided by the vision of Prime Minister Hun Manet, the Ministry of Commerce, through its Export Promotion Task Force (EPTF), has been working with the private sector under the “Made in Cambodia” campaign to promote Cambodian products in high-value overseas markets. The partnership has produced notable results, particularly in the rice sector. Amru Rice’s premium Phka Malis jasmine rice, marketed under the Comptoir du Grain brand, has reached the shelves of E.Leclerc, one of France’s leading hypermarket chains. Its Emerald River premium rice has also expanded into the United States, including Costco Wholesale, while its Apsara Rice brand is available through Cold Storage supermarkets in Singapore and the DFI Retail Group network in Hong Kong.
Watch the 26 August 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: