By
B2B Asia News
on
This is a B2B Asia News Daily Update for 7 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. Asian equities traded cautiously on Friday as investors awaited US jobs data that could influence the U.S. Federal Reserve’s interest-rate decision next month, while rising oil prices kept Middle East risks firmly in focus.
- MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was flat and was down 0.4% for the week. Japan’s Nikkei slipped 0.9% but remained on track for a 1.2% weekly gain, while South Korea’s KOSPI fell 0.5% and was heading for a seventh consecutive weekly decline, down 5% for the week. China’s CSI 300, meanwhile, gained 0.2%.
- Zooming in on Cambodia’s market—the Cambodia Securities Exchange Index was up 1.92 points or 0.42% to 464.1. Total trade volume was down with 143,105 shares changing hands at a total value of 459 million riel or over $113,000 US dollars.
- On the main board, four stocks were up, led by CAMGSM, while only one stock, Royal Group Phnom Penh SEZ, was down. Over on the growth board, JS Land was up while DBD Engineering and Picasso City Garden stayed flat.
- Shifting to the exchange rate, the Khmer riel to USD strengthened to 4,054 riel per US Dollar, while the US Dollar index hovered around 99.93.
- Looking at global commodities, oil prices edged higher on Friday on further concerns surrounding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and potential Iranian bans and fines on vessels it deems hostile or in violation of proposed rules.
- Brent crude futures were up 0.9% at $83.24 US dollars a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures rose 0.5% to $77.71 US dollars. (0815 GMT)
- Gold rose more than 1% and was set for its biggest weekly gain since January, helped by weaker oil prices, while investors awaited key U.S. nonfarm payrolls data for clues on the interest rate outlook. Spot gold was up 1.1% at $4,285.89 US dollars per ounce, after hitting a seven-week high on Thursday. Prices gained 6% for the week.U.S. gold futures rose 1.1% to $4,344.90 US dollars. (0635 GMT)
Looking at the crypto market, Bitcoin was trading near the $64,000 dollar mark on Friday and was broadly unchanged over the past 24 hours, as investors balanced softer US inflation data against the U.S. Federal Reserve’s still-hawkish policy stance. The cryptocurrency was last trading at $63,940 US dollars. Ethereum was down 0.10% and 0.93%, respectively.
- Moving on now to other business-related news,
- The Cambodian Government and the private sector for the manufacturing, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and services sectors met to identify practical solutions to improve Cambodia's business environment during the fourth meeting of Working Group "C" of the Government-Private Sector Forum held on August 6. The private sector presented 13 key challenges affecting business operations, including salt production and imports, access to finance, investment incentives, electricity costs, business licensing procedures, implementation of environmental regulations, shortages of skilled labour, cashew processing, product certification, the development of enterprises in the informal economy, and strengthening compliance among online businesses to ensure fair competition. The discussions were conducted in an open and constructive manner. All issues and proposals were reviewed and addressed within the Working Group at both the technical and policy levels.
- The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has reaffirmed its strong commitment to providing ongoing technical assistance and policy support to strengthen Cambodia’s trade sector and overall economic competitiveness as the Kingdom prepares for graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status. The reaffirmation came during a courtesy meeting held on August 6 at the Ministry of Commerce between H.E. Cham Nimul, Minister of Commerce, and Yasmin Siddiqi, ADB Country Director for Cambodia, alongside her delegation. During the discussion, H.E. Cham Nimul extended a warm welcome to the ADB delegation and expressed deep appreciation for the progress made through joint initiatives. She highlighted the positive impact of ongoing ADB technical assistance and policy actions aimed at building institutional capacity and enhancing Cambodia’s trade competitiveness in regional and global markets.
- On August 5, at the Kratie Provincial Department of Commerce, His Excellency Veng Sothy, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce, presided over the opening ceremony of a training workshop on "Simplification of Business Registration and Branding". The workshop was attended by the officials from the Provincial Department of Commerce, the Provincial Directorate-General of Consumer Protection and Competition Branch, as well as representatives of the Women Entrepreneurs Association, the Chamber of Commerce, business owners, and university students. The workshop aimed to provide knowledge and understanding of simplified business registration procedures, as well as to enhance awareness of key strategies and the importance of building and maintaining a strong brand reputation to remain competitive in the market.
Watch the 7 August 2026 Daily Update in Khmer below: