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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 29 April 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. Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed Wednesday, after Wall Street declined overnight as investors assess the latest developments concerning OPEC, as well as a report that pointed to weakness in OpenAI.
- South Korea’s Kospi added 0.75%.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index added 1.2% as of its last hour of trade, while Mainland China’s CSI 300 rose 1.1%.
- Japan markets were closed for a holiday.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 0.34 points or 0.08% to 434.13.
- Total trade volume was down with 148,746 shares changing hands at a total value of 892.6 million riel or close to $223,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, four stocks were up, led by Pestech Cambodia, while three stocks were down, with Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board all three stocks were down.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened slightly to 4,008 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 98.73.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices rose nearly 3% on Wednesday, with the Brent contract hitting a one-month high, on media reports the U.S. will extend its blockade of Iranian ports, likely prolonging supply disruptions from the key Middle East producing region. Brent crude futures for June rose 2.8% to $114.34 US dollars a barrel, climbing for an eighth day to the highest since March 31.
- The June contract expires on Thursday and the more active July contract was at $107.08 US dollars, up 2.6%.
- U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures for June rose 2.8% to $102.68 US dollars a barrel, the highest since April 13. (0824GMT)
- Gold edged lower on Wednesday, as higher oil prices fuelled fears of inflation, while investors awaited the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair's comments to gauge the impact of the Iran war on the economy.
- Spot gold was down 0.4% at $4,574.26 US dollars per ounce, after falling to its lowest level since April 2 in the previous session.
- U.S. gold futures for June delivery fell 0.4% to $4,587.70 US dollars. (0740 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin is holding firm near $77,000 US dollars ahead of Jerome Powell’s final press conference as Federal Reserve chair. Bitcoin has rallied nearly 15% over the past month, while the overall cryptocurrency industry has added about $400 billion dollars in value since February.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- The World Bank approved the first phase of the Multiphase Programmatic Approach (MPA) Cambodia Regional Connectivity Improvement (CRCI) Programme on April 28, with an overall $300 million US dollar International Development Association financing envelope. The first phase, approved at $150 million US dollars, will improve resilient transport connectivity along sections of the Asian Highway 21 (AH21) corridor and strengthen national logistics management capacity. The programme is expected to benefit more than 1.6 million people, including road users and communities living along the corridor.
- The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) held talks with a delegation from the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) on April 29 to review Cambodia’s economic outlook. The meeting was led by a Secretary of State at the MEF and the President of AMRO. The Cambodian ministry of economy noted that the mission’s recommendations serve as an important reference for the Cambodian Government in responding to an increasingly complex global environment. Meanwhile, the AMRO President commended Cambodia’s proactive management of macroeconomic stability despite persistent external shocks. AMRO projects Cambodia’s economy to grow by 4.9% in 2026.
- Cambodia’s Ministry of Information is accelerating the digital transformation of its municipal and provincial departments, mandating the establishment of official websites across all 25 municipality and provinces to strengthen the national data infrastructure and counter misinformation. The Minister of Information, H.E. Neth Pheaktra, emphasised the urgency of building a robust digital presence during a consultative meeting held at the Ministry on April 28. The digital initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. Each provincial department will receive a specialised content management system (CMS), while a centralised platform will allow the Ministry to monitor and coordinate news flow nationwide.
Watch the 29 April 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: