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B2B Asia News
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This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 31 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 plunged on Tuesday, leading to their worst monthly performance in six years, driven by escalating Iran-US conflict fears, rising oil prices, and intense inflation concerns.
- South Korea’s KOSPI fell 4.3%, leading regional losses due to tech sell-offs and regional instability.
- Japan’s Nikkei 225 dropped 1.6% to, erasing earlier 2026 gains. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.3%.
- China’s Shanghai Composite fell 0.8% despite positive manufacturing data.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was down 0.51 points or 0.12% to 433.35.
- Total trade volume was down with 136,189 shares changing hands at a total value of 797.4 million riel, or close to $199,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, three stocks were up, led by Pestech Cambodia, while four stocks were down, with Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ as the biggest loser of the day.
- Over on the growth board, DBD Engineering was up while JS Land and Picasso City Garden were down.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD was stable at 4,001 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 100.47.
- Turning to global commodities, oil prices saw choppy trading after a report said that U.S. President Donald Trump was looking to avoid a prolonged conflict in the Middle East. May futures for Brent crude rose 0.24% to $113.05 US dollars per barrel, after erasing declines.
- West Texas Intermediate futures for May delivery were 0.1% lower at $102.78 US dollars a barrel. (0742 GMT)
- Gold rose on Tuesday but stayed on track for its biggest monthly drop in more than 17 years as investors flocked to the dollar as the favoured safe haven amid the Middle East war that has raised inflation fears and bets for hawkish monetary policy response.
- Spot gold climbed 0.9% to $4,550.68 US dollars per ounce.
- U.S. gold futures for April delivery gained 0.5% to $4,580.70 US dollars. (0727 GMT)
- Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin is stabilising around $67,500 US dollars, recovering from a dip below $65,200 US dollars earlier in the week. The price reflects a cautious, low-volume market grappling with geopolitical risks and a "bearish trend", although it has shown resilience, holding key support levels near $66,800 US dollars.
- Moving on now to other business-related news:
- The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) officially marked the Phase 2 launch of the cross-border QR payment linkage between Cambodia and Singapore on March 30, under the support of two sponsoring banks in Cambodia – ACLEDA Bank and Phillip Bank – and Singaporean company, Liquid Group. The launch of Phase 2 follows up the success of the Phase 1 rollout in November 2025, which enabled Cambodian travellers to scan QR codes under Liquid Group’s RoamQR network in Singapore using Bakong-linked Khmer Riel accounts.
- National STI Day 2026 concluded with great success over the weekend, with over 30,000 people attending over the three day event at Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Centre. One of the main highlights from the event was the Sci-Cup Competition, which showcased Cambodia’s growing commitment to strengthening STEM education and nurturing future innovators. Organised by the National Institute of Science, Technology & Innovation (NISTI), the competition brought together top-performing students from across the country. After two rigorous preliminary rounds, six finalists advanced to the national stage, and the three top finalists were awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals during the 4th STI Day closing ceremony.
- Cambodia and Switzerland have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to enhance workforce skills in line with labour market demands. The commitment was highlighted during a meeting held at the Ministry on March 30 between the Cambodian Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, and the Director of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Cambodia.
Watch the 31 March 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: