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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 29 January 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 mixed Thursday as a wait-and-see attitude dominated in regional markets following the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision to keep its key interest rate unchanged. Gains for some technology companies reporting strong earnings failed to give shares in Tokyo much of a lift as the Nikkei 225 rose less than 0.1%. South Korea's Kospi surged 1.0% to 5,221.25, hitting a fresh record as computer chip maker SK Hynix picked up 2.4% on a strong earnings report.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 1.56 points or 0.37%, to 421.15. Total trade volume was up with 108,506 shares changing hands at a total value of 647.9 million riel, or over $161,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, only one stock, Pestech Cambodia, was up, while CAMGSM, MJQ Education and Sihanoukville Autonomous Port were down and the rest of the board stayed flat. Over on the growth board, all three stocks were down.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the KHR weakened slightly to 4,027 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar Index was down to 96.14.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices rose 1.5% on Thursday, extending gains for a third day, on increasing concerns the U.S. may carry out a military attack on key Middle Eastern producer Iran that could disrupt supply from the region. Brent crude futures rose 1.4% to $69.34 US dollars a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed 1.5%, to $64.13 US dollars a barrel. (0730 GMT)
- Gold marched ahead, hovering just shy of $5,600 dollars an ounce as investors rushed into safe havens amid geopolitical and economic unease. Spot gold shot up 2.7% to $5,546.29 US dollars an ounce, after hitting a record high of $5,594.82 US dollars earlier in the day. The metal has hit record highs for nine straight sessions. U.S. gold futures for February delivery jumped 4.5% to $5,539.20 US dollars after hitting an all-time high of $5,626.80 US dollars earlier. (0752 GMT)
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
ABA Bank has become the largest investor in Cambodia's first-ever agriculture bond, issued by Daun Penh Agrico. The investment will finance the expansion of fruit production and processing facilities for bananas, pineapples, and mangoes in Ratanakiri Province, one of Cambodia's key agricultural growth regions in the northeast. The project is expected to enhance export-oriented production capacity, strengthen the national agricultural value chain, and generate stable employment opportunities for local communities. - The head of Cambodia’s state-owned Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (ARDB) has called on American poultry giant, Maple Leaf Farms, to accelerate its planned investment in a comprehensive "White Pekin" duck production chain to serve both domestic and regional markets. Representatives from ARDB and Maple Leaf Farms met on January 27 to discuss the project’s timeline, with the facilitation of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Cambodia.
- Cambodia and Malaysia have reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation in promoting and protecting the rights and benefits of Cambodian workers living and working in Malaysia. The commitment was highlighted during the 2nd Joint Working Group Meeting, held in Siem Reap province from January 26-27, where representatives from Cambodia and Malaysia exchanged information on updated policies, laws, and regulations related to the management of migrant workers.
Watch the 29 January 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: