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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 26 March 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 mostly fell on Thursday, as investors navigated uncertainty regarding Middle East conflict de-escalation.
- The MSCI Asia Pacific Index dropped 1.1%.
- Hong Kong's Hang Seng declined 1.4% to 1.9%, while Tokyo's Nikkei 225 eased 0.3% to 0.4%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 0.41 points or 0.1% to 427.56.
- Total trade volume was up with 168,221 shares changing hands at a total value of 577 million riel, or over $143,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, five stocks were up, led by Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, while only one stock, Pestech Cambodia, was down.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering was up, JS Land stayed flat, and Picasso City Garden was down.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the KHR strengthened to 4,004 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.70.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices rose on Thursday, recovering some of the losses from the previous session, as investors reassess the prospects for de-escalation in the Middle East. Brent crude futures climbed 1.1% to $103.35 US dollars a barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 1.2% to $91.40 US dollars a barrel. (0554 GMT)
- Gold prices fell on Thursday, weighed down by increased expectations of U.S. Federal Reserve rate hikes this year as elevated oil prices stoked inflation worries, with investors awaiting clarity on Middle East de-escalation efforts.
- Spot gold fell 1.2% to $4,451.47 US dollars per ounce.
- U.S. gold futures for April delivery lost 2.3% to $4,448 US dollars. (0811 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin is holding steady around $70,000–$71,300 US dollars, navigating volatility. The market is focused on a $75,000 US dollar "max pain" level for the weekend, balancing record ETF inflows against macro headwinds.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- The 4th National Day of Science, Technology & Innovation officially opened on March 26, under the theme “Innovation for National Advancement”, bringing together government leaders, researchers, private sector representatives, and development partners to strengthen Cambodia’s national innovation ecosystem. The three-day event features science exhibitions, STI forums, innovation activities, national science awards aimed at enhancing science, technology, and innovation (STI) capacity to support socio-economic development, and over 200 exhibition booths from ministries-institutions, the private sector, and academic and research institutions.
- Prime Minister Hun Manet inaugurated a $30.6 million dollar water treatment plant in Svay Rieng province on March 26, funded by the Government of Japan through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Speaking at the ceremony, the Prime Minister expressed his deep appreciation to Japan for its continued support under the Cambodia-Japan cooperation. He also encouraged Japanese investors to explore investment opportunities in the eastern part of Cambodia, particularly in Svay Rieng province.
- The Ministry of Commerce (MoC) issued a notice announcing the updated retail oil prices from March 26 until the next announcement. The price of regular gasoline currently sits at 5,450 riel per litre, while the price of diesel has risen to 7,100 riel per litre. To ease the pressure of rising fuel costs on citizens, the Cambodian government is continuing to reduce the retail fuel price by 6.5 cents per litre, applying an additional 1 cent per litre reduction as international fuel prices have risen above $90 dollars per barrel for gasoline, and $100 dollars per barrel for diesel, and applying reductions on additional taxes, special taxes and VAT on gasoline and diesel.
Watch the 26 March 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: