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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 31 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. Share markets slipped in Asia on Monday as fresh fighting broke out between the U.S. and Iran, lifting oil prices, while bond yields stayed painfully elevated after investors narrowed the odds on a U.S. rate hike.
- Japan's Nikkei was down 0.4%, while South Korean stocks fell 0.1%. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan lost 0.6%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 0.68 points or 0.13% to 541.02.
- Total trade volume was down with 755,145 shares changing hands at a total value of 4.6 billion riel or over $1.13 million US dollars.
- On the main board, only one stock, Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, was up, while five stocks were down, with Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ as the biggest loser of the day. Over on the growth board, all stocks were down.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD weakened slightly to 4,047 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.54.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices were trading more than 2% higher on Monday after the U.S. attacked an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz and drew retaliation from Tehran, as their conflict extended into its sixth month.
- Brent crude futures climbed 2.51% to $90.31 US dollars a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $85.23 up 2.19%. (0436 GMT)
- Gold fell on Monday to its lowest in nearly two weeks after the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair signalled that interest rate hikes may be needed to ease price pressures, while escalating Middle East tensions fuelled inflation fears.
- Spot gold was down 0.3% at $4,439.31 US dollars per ounce, after hitting its lowest level since August 19 earlier. Prices dropped over 3% on Friday, U.S. gold futures declined 0.9% to $4,489.50 US dollars. (0643 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin traded near $77,900 showing resilience despite renewed US-Iran conflict that pushed oil prices above $90 dollars and pressured global stocks. Bitcoin gained about 23% in August, outperforming gold and Nasdaq. Ethereum was down 3.04% at $2,412.71 US dollars, with a 7-day down of 2.42%
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- Cambodia Data Trust Lab, the second flagship event under the ‘Powered by Cambodia’ campaign, took place on August 29, at the Novotel Phnom Penh BKK 1, gathering digital technology experts, IT professionals, tech pioneers and policymakers for a full day of expert insights on cybersecurity, cloud and data infrastructure, digital skills building and more. Addressing the question: Can Cambodia protect, govern, and trust its own digital data, Cambodia Data Trust Lab offered attendees an action oriented programme split across a main stage lineup of expert presentations and panel discussions, and three specialised hands-on technical workshops focused on cyber resilience, data readiness and cloud migration. Cambodia Data Trust Lab aimed to translate national priorities into actionable strategies for the digital ecosystem by bridging the gap between policy and practice. As a crucial milestone under the 'Powered by Cambodia' campaign, the event successfully demonstrated that a self-reliant, secure, and highly trusted digital future is well within Cambodia's reach.
- Cambodia has officially launched construction of the Cambodia SuperPort, a new special economic zone and logistics complex with an estimated investment of US$300 million in Kampong Speu province, marking another step in strengthening the country’s industrial and logistics infrastructure. H.E. Hun Many, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Service, presided over the groundbreaking ceremony on behalf of Prime Minister Hun Manet. The Phnom Penh Logistics and Industrial Complex, or Cambodia SuperPort, covers approximately 132 hectares. The project is expected to serve as an important logistics and industrial hub, connecting production bases in Cambodia with regional and international markets while improving the efficiency of goods movement and strengthening the country’s supply chains.
- The Minister of Commerce, H.E. Cham Nimul, attended the signing ceremony for a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on strategic cooperation for fuel quality inspection between Bright Victory Mekong Petroleum (BVM) and Intertek on August 28 in Phnom Penh. H.E. Cham Nimul commended BVM for its ongoing business expansion, highlighting the groundbreaking of its new fuel storage facilities and its strategic partnership with Intertek—a globally recognised leader in quality compliance and fuel testing. Furthermore, the Minister stressed the importance of business integrity, fair competition, and consumer protection, while introducing a new Ministry initiative to evaluate and award companies demonstrating strong commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Watch the 31 August 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: