☕️MCMC investigates influencers exploiting homeless man

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

Disneyland recently turned 70, which also marks 70 years of Disney funnelling its IPs into its theme parks. The Mouse’s portfolio of intellectual property has been the foundation of its theme parks, with its experiences division – in charge of parks, resorts, cruises, and consumer products – still the company’s best profit drivers. A revenue of USD34.2 bil (RM146.3 bil) and an operating profit of USD9.3 bil (RM39.8 bil) for just the division alone in 2024 is impressive, especially when there is a forecasted increase of up to 8% for 2025. These past 70 years have seen the opening of 12 theme parks, almost 60 resort hotels and vacation properties, and six cruise ships, with the fleet set to double by 2031.

Deputy Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir shared that, between 2018 and June 2025, electricity theft linked to illegal bitcoin mining activities has caused RM4.8 bil in losses. From 2023 to 2024, a total of 2,399 cases were reported, while there have already been 1,800 cases between Jan to June 2025. The deputy minister said there has also been a surge in cases, driven by the rising value of Bitcoin, which “creates challenges for enforcement”, as more are willing to take the risk of stealing electricity for mining.

OpenAI revealed that ChatGPT receives 2.5 bil prompts from global users every day, with about 330 mil of those prompts coming from US users. This is rather impressive growth, considering how, seven months ago, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said the daily total of prompts was over 1 bil. While this is a clear show of just how much ChatGPT has integrated into daily life, Google still holds strong, with an estimated 14 bil searches per day, to a total of 5 tril queries per year.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

MCMC investigates influencers exploiting homeless man
MCMC has launched an investigation into a viral video showing a group of influencers allegedly feeding food scraps to a homeless man, an act that has sparked public outrage. MCMC condemned the creation and circulation of content that exploits marginalised communities for entertainment and online traction, warning it erodes societal values and normalises inhumane behaviour. The commission is probing the matter under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries penalties of up to RM500,000 in fines, 2 years’ imprisonment, or both for sharing offensive, false or threatening content. MCMC also reminded the public not to upload or distribute provocative material that could threaten public order. The video, since removed (but you can still view it here), drew sharp criticism online, prompting the trio to apologise, claiming the homeless man had consented to the filming and had already been given a full meal beforehand.

TNG Digital achieves unicorn status, IPO under consideration
TNG Digital Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s largest fintech and operator of the Touch ’n Go eWallet, has reached unicorn status with a valuation exceeding USD1 bil (RM4.8 bil), according to CIMB Bank Bhd, which owns 45% of the company via Touch ’n Go Sdn Bhd. CIMB confirmed that the firm became profitable this year after an incubation phase and now serves 23 mil verified users, nearly covering Malaysia’s entire adult population. Despite reports suggesting a potential IPO within two-three years that could raise USD300 mil, there are no immediate plans to list. In FY2023, the company saw revenue jumped 62% to RM234 mil from RM144.4 mil year-on-year, whilst losses narrowed to RM190 mil (just a bit) to RM199.1 mil.

The development aligns with the government’s goal to identify 5 unicorns by 2030, as stated by Finance Minister II at a recent fintech event. The milestone makes TNG Digital the second Malaysian unicorn after Carsome Group, a Southeast Asian used-car marketplace. The current administration’s focus reflects a shift from former economy minister Rafizi Ramli’s vision to elevate Malaysia into the world’s top 20 startup hubs by 2030, from its present top 50 position. TNG Digital’s other key shareholders include Antfin Singapore Holding Pte Ltd (23%), Alipay Singapore Holdings Pte Ltd (11.62%), Lazadapay Holdings Pte Ltd (11.38%), AIA Bhd (3%), and ASP Malaysia LP (5.99%).

Can TNG Digital truly be considered a unicorn, not just from a financial standpoint? After all, they had a unfair advantage start from an existing monopoly, founded by corporates and not some scrappy individual entrepreneurs.

Water issues

Critical dam levels triggers water shortage fears in Peninsular Malaysia
Malaysia may be heading towards dry days as seven of the 43 dams across Peninsular Malaysia have dipped to critical levels, with another nearing the danger zone. The Bukit Merah dam in Perak has triggered cloud-seeding efforts, while four dams in Selangor like the Langat, Sungai Selangor, Tasik Subang and Sungai Tinggi are also in the red, according to the Irrigation and Drainage Department’s latest data. These supply key areas of the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya. In Kedah, the Muda and Ahning dams, vital for rice field irrigation are operating with only about 15% of their balance storage. Meanwhile, Semenyih dam is on alert, hovering at warning levels. Senior authorities have pledged to continue proactive cloud-seeding operations to mitigate water shortages as the nation braces for prolonged dry conditions.

Old jeans clog Klang River clean-up despite high-tech efforts
Among the many odd items polluting the Klang River, old jeans have emerged as the most troublesome. Despite the presence of discarded mattresses, tyres, bicycles and even cars, it is the jeans long submerged and still intact that pose the greatest headache, frequently jamming and damaging cutter suction machines used in riverbed clean-ups. Speaking at a strategic partnership event for Interceptor 02, a solar-powered river cleaning machine from The Ocean Cleanup, State Infrastructure and Agriculture Committee chairman Datuk Izham Hashim urged the public not to dump clothing into waterways. The event, which also saw support from Affin Group and MUFG Bank, marked continued progress under the Selangor Maritime Gateway project. Since 2016, the Interceptors (one of which is sponsored by Coldplay) have cleared around 95,000 metric tonnes of rubbish from the river.

Shorts 

1. Malaysian government websites breached, data allegedly for sale online
   Over a dozen Malaysian government websites have reportedly been breached, with access to compromised systems allegedly being sold on a dark web forum for USD20,000 (RM85,500). Affected entities include JPN, MyGovernment portal, RTM, and the ministries of health, defence, foreign affairs, and higher education. The stolen data is said to include VPN credentials, shell access, and database records, with payments requested in Monero cryptocurrency. CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSAM) acknowledged the incident but stated that matters involving National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII) fall under the jurisdiction of the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), which has yet to respond. Cybersecurity experts note the low asking price may suggest either inexperience or undervalued data.

2. Nutri-Grade labelling system to address Malaysia’s nutritional crisis 
   The Ministry of Health will soon roll out the Nutri-Grade system to classify food products from Grade A (healthiest) to Grade D (unhealthy and not to be advertised), aiming to improve nutrition literacy and encourage healthier choices. The shift follows the National Health and Morbidity Study (NHMS) 2024, which found that 78% of teenagers and 74% of adults lack vitamin A, and over 96% are calcium-deficient. The study also showed that one-third of teenagers and half of adults exceed daily sugar intake limits, while three-quarters of adults consume more salt than the WHO's recommended 5g.

3. Luxury car owners skipping insurance, road tax, exploiting cheaper fines
   Some luxury car owners in Malaysia are deliberately skipping road tax and insurance renewals, opting instead to pay the RM300 fine (max RM3,000), which they view as cheaper than the over RM15,000 annual cost. A senior lawyer has shed some light on RTD’s Ops Luxury 2025, which has seized 53 uninsured vehicles, warned that this practice is illegal and dangerous. Without insurance, accident victims cannot claim compensation and may face legal and medical costs of up to tens of thousands of ringgit. Even with a court win, payouts aren't guaranteed if the offender is uninsured, as victims may need to pursue costly bankruptcy proceedings.

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

American-O
Trump quarrels with India
Trump had threatened to “punish” India with more tariffs after an already hefty 25%, citing his dissatisfaction over India still buying Russian crude oil. India is currently among Russia’s largest buyers, and has become an important export market for Moscow after several European countries cut trade when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. India had called it “unjustified and unreasonable”, saying that the US had encouraged India to import Russian gas at the start of the conflict, "for strengthening global energy markets stability". It criticises the US - its largest trading partner - for introducing the tariffs when the US itself is still doing trade with Russia. Last year, the US traded goods worth an estimated USD3.5 bil (RM14.8 bil) with Russia, despite tough sanctions and tariffs. As a response to the threat, India said that it would take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interest and economic security. India is the biggest buyer of seaborne crude from Russia, importing about 1.75 mil barrels per day of Russian oil from Jan to June this year, up 1% from a year ago.

USD15,000 (RM63,412.48) bond for some tourists entering the US
The United States will be rolling out a 12-month pilot programme requiring USD15,000 bonds beginning Aug 20, targeting those seeking B-1 or B-2 visas from countries with high rates of overstays, in an effort to deter those who would overstay their visas. The State Department said that the programme could bring in USD20 mil (that’s about 1.3k pax) over the course of a year. It also said that it would be a diplomatic tool to encourage foreign governments to take all appropriate actions to ensure robust screening and vetting for all citizens in matters of identity verification and public safety. The Trump administration keeps on justifying its arrests and deportations of immigrants by saying that those who are “unlawfully present in the United States present significant threats to national security and public safety”, although overwhelming evidence has shown that immigrants commit crimes at lower rates than naturally born Americans.

Business
BP makes biggest oil and gas find in 25 years
BP announced in Feb to slash its planned investments in renewable energy and said that it would spend more on oil and gas operations. Seems like it's paying off - a recent announcement by the company said they have made the largest oil and gas discovery in 25 years. The discovery was said to be in deep water, a 500-metre area of oil and gas at the Bumerangue block in the Santos basin, 400km off Brazil's east coast. BP's share price has come under pressure in recent years as it pumped billions of dollars into renewable energy, while rival companies benefited from soaring oil and gas prices in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Yesterday, it revealed better-than-expected results for the second quarter of 2025. Underlying replacement cost profits fell by 15% compared with the same six months in 2024 to USD2.4 bil (RM10.15 bil), but that was better than the USD1.8 bil analysts had forecast - and an improvement on the first quarter figure.
Learn: Replacement cost profit

eFishery is a mighty dead unicorn
The end is near for eFishery, Indonesia’s once-famed aquaculture startup that quickly faded away after a major financial scandal this year. The company has now laid out a draft payout plan for its shareholders, paving the way for its eventual liquidation. Among the provisions in the non-binding term sheet are that eFisheryʼs preference shareholders stand to recover the companyʼs cash first, and strictly at the original price they paid for their shares, rather than based on their ownership stake. Earlier this year, in a separate report, FTI Consulting, the forensic auditor appointed to review eFishery, estimated that investors could recoup up to USD42.7 mil (RM180.51 mil) from liquidating Indonesian assets under the most optimistic scenario. That recovery would come largely from cash reserves and short-term investments in the Indonesian entities, equating to just under 10 cents for every dollar invested.

Shorts

1. Trial begins for the deadly Moscow Concert Hall attack in 2024 
   19 defendants accused of the 2024 Moscow concert hall shooting have appeared in court for the trial of the deadly attack that killed 149 people and wounded hundreds. Although the attack was claimed by an ISIS entity, Russia is saying that Ukraine was involved in the attack to destabilise the country, but they don’t really provide any evidence. The concert hall attack is said to be one of deadliest attacks in Russia’s capital since the era of Russian-Chechen wars in the 1990s and 2000s.

2. United Nations predicament 
   Even the United Nations struggles with too many meetings and too many reports in the organization. In an efficiency report produced by the UN80 taskforce, it was revealed that the UN reports are not widely read despite having 27,000 meetings with 240 bodies all over the world. The UN80 taskforce was launched in Mar by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to pursue improvement in the organization. Now in its 80th year, the UN also grapples with a liquidity crisis for at least the seventh year in a row because not all 193 U.N. member states pay their mandatory regular dues in full or on time.

   Read: How the UN is funded, and who pays the most?

3. Would you donate your pet for a predator to devour? 
   Sounds morbid, but the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark even has a proper scheme for that: the public are invited to donate their healthy, unwanted pets to be part of the diet for their predators such as a Eurasian lynx, lions and tigers. Animals accepted for donations include live chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs, and horses, which will be "gently euthanised” by trained staff. The zoo says that the food provided in this way is "reminiscent of what it would naturally hunt in the wild" and that they have the responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

1. The Edge: Who owns the country’s major highways?

2. GOAT, played by a goat. GOAT: Greatest Of All Time.

3. Sports channel ESPN (owned by The Walt Disney Company) will show corgi races.

espn

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