☕️ MyDigital ID soon to be mandatory for government services

1. MARKET SUMMARY 📈

2. NUMBERS AT A GLANCE 🔢

According to regulator Ofcom, UK adults are spending more time online in 2025 than they did during the pandemic in 2021. On average, they spent four hours and 30 minutes online every day in 2025, 31 minutes longer than in 2021. Psychologist Dr Aric Sigman believes this was not a problem in itself, but what mattered was which activities online time was displacing (if doomscrolling, then yes - you are wasting your time), and how this may harm mental health. Still, he believes it is good news that society is beginning to question online time more critically.
Fun fact: children aged between eight and 17 in the UK may enjoy the internet time, but they also recognise that there are negative impacts of endless scrolling on smartphones. In short, they were aware of brain rot. Learn: What is brain rot?

The “Women in the Workplace” 2025 study by McKinsey and LeanIn.org found that burnout among senior-level women is the highest it has been in the past five years. The study found that around 60% of the women polled have reported frequently feeling burnt out at work in the past few months, compared with 50% of senior-level men. It also found that women newer to leadership roles felt the strain more acutely. 70% of those who had been at their companies for five years or less reported frequent burnout, with 81% reporting concern about job security.
Read the full report here.

Zooming in on Malaysia’s mental health situation, the Royal Malaysia Police reported that between 2020 and October 2025, over 80% of 5,857 (2.75 suicides per day) reported suicide cases involved men. Of those cases, 1,813 involved individuals between 15 and 30. This marks an alarming increase in male youth suicide cases in Malaysia, particularly among those in the workforce. Public reaction was varied, with some saying they were not surprised, considering how salaries remained low while the cost of living continues to rise. Rigid gender expectations for men to be “tough, strong, and not cry”, often reinforced by the patriarchal system or toxic men’s rights figures, along with the stigma against mental health, have made seeking help difficult.

On a serious note, please reach out to people you trust and/or medical professionals for help if you ever need to. Check out some helplines here.

Together with Atome

Gifts, dinners, decorations - they add up fast when everything is “just this once.”
Be deliberate this season. Spend, but don’t let December borrow from your future.

If you’re buying Christmas gifts or festive essentials, splitting payments into 3 interest-free instalments helps you keep cash flow predictable - no surprises, no hidden charges, no January regret.

Bonus for The Coffee Break readers: RM50 off (min spend RM125) with code FINLIT50.

Start here.

3. IN MALAYSIA 🇲🇾

Freak Accident December

Killed by a crane
Johor Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) has issued a stop-work order to the Tanjung Bin Complex, which saw the death of two workers over the weekend due to the collapse of a crane. Initial findings revealed that five workers were carrying out maintenance work at the facility when the crane collapsed. This was not the first time the Tanjung Bin Complex was in the news for the wrong reasons. In October 2025, a fire broke out at the facility, fortunately with no fatalities or injuries reported. Another fire was reported in April 2019. Malakoff needs to start to get their act together in ensuring higher safety standards. The Tanjung Bin site hosts a major coal‑fired complex, operated by Malakoff Corporation Berhad, with a combined capacity of 3,100 MW. This makes Tanjung Bin one of Southeast Asia’s larger coal‑fired power installations.

Fire ravages 30 houses
The Tawau Fire and Rescue Station stated that a fire had destroyed at least 30 semi-detached houses in Kampung Sri Aman. No casualties were reported from the incident. The fire brigade managed to control the fire and prevent it from spreading to approximately 300 other houses.

Forgot your password? You may be unable to renew your passport
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo announced that services such as wedding registrations, death certificates and passport renewals will soon require applicants to have a MyDigital ID. At the moment, MyDigital ID registration is still not mandatory, but the system already has 6.36 mil users, with a daily sign-up rate of 50,000. From next year, MyDigital ID will be required for various services, including police summonses, Road Transport Depart­ment (JPJ) services, government payments, local council compounds, public housing services, travel and tourism facilities and government financial aid. Start remembering your password proper

While we are on the topic of personal national identity, JPN director-general Badrul Hisham Alias said that the National Registration Department (JPN) is considering the possibilities of allowing dual citizenship holders to voluntarily surrender their MyKad and forfeit one of their citizenships without facing legal action. At the moment, Malaysia does not recognise dual citizenship, and the revocation of citizenship can only be done if an individual is found guilty of holding more than one nationality.

There may be a solution to the UEC fiasco, but no education minister has even bothered asking
Chairman of the Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) task force, Eddin Khoo, said that based on the final report of the task force, the way forward for UEC is not for Putrajaya to recognise the examination, but instead, those who passed the UEC may merit certain allowances to gain entry into local public universities and the civil service. Entry exams with Bahasa Melayu and history requirements can be imposed on those who hold UEC certification. However, Khoo stated that since the report was completed in 2020, no education minister has called upon him for the report, and the public cannot access the report as it falls under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

Although the UEC issue has been around a long time, it has recently stepped into the spotlight (for political purposes, of course) as DAP intend to garner support from its base voters - the Chinese community, after the recent Sabah state election wiped out the party suffered. DAP deputy chairperson Nga Kor Ming announced that he would seek a meeting with PM Anwar Ibrahim to resolve the UEC recognition. Responding to the UEC issue, UMNO obviously is strongly against the matter, but former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli took a more centrist posture, by stating that Malaysians should accept China’s growing influence as well as the importance of the Mandarin language.

Shorts

1. Sabah unveils the largest energy storage system
   Sabah’s head of state, Musa Aman, recently launched the biggest energy storage facility in the region, situated in Lahad Datu and owned by Sabah Electricity. The new facility is expected to enhance grid stability, reduce dependence on diesel and support renewable energy integration in the state. BESS Lahad Datu boasts an impressive 100-megawatt (MW) capacity and 400-megawatt-hour (MWh) energy storage. The project cost about RM645 mil and it took less than a year to be completed.
   Fun fact: Back in 2017, Elon Musk took a ‘battery bet’ to install 100 MW (capable of supporting 30k homes an hour) of battery storage system in 100 days, otherwise, the state will get it for free. All settled in 60 days. 

2. Batik Air launches new routes

   Batik Air launches multiple new routes, including four operating from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang (to Singapore, Jakarta, Johor Bahru and Langkawi), starting this month. Batik Air CEO Chandran Rama Muthy stated that the airliner wants to provide alternatives for flyers by positioning Subang Airport as a more convenient location compared to KLIA.

3. Evocom goes ACE listing, but highly concerning single-customer concentration

   Evocom Bhd, which provides flexible staffing and network support services for e-commerce and logistics activities, is preparing to list on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia. However, the company has one major risk - its heavy reliance on one major customer, which is SPX Xpress, accounting for more than 82.37% of its total revenue. The company stated that “there is no assurance that our current business relationship with SPX will be maintained in the foreseeable future”. Evocom reported net profit of RM6.19 mil on revenue of RM209.41 mil in FY2024. View its prospectus here.

   

   Source: Risk Factors

4. AROUND THE WORLD 🌎

In Australia: Shooting and Social Media

Bondi Beach shooting
The world was shocked by a shooting tragedy at the popular Bondi Beach, Sydney, yesterday, where two men went on a shooting spree that killed 12 people and injured dozens. Australian authorities have designated it as an act of terrorism, as the attack was targeted at Sydney’s Jewish community, celebrating Hanukkah (aka Festival of Lights) on the beach. One of the two gunmen is believed to be have been killed, with the second alleged shooter in a critical condition. Police said they are investigating a possible third shooter, and also believe they have located several improvised explosive devices in a nearby vehicle shortly after the attack. A brave man was caught on camera as he succeeded in disarming one of the shooters - watch here.

Warning - graphic: watch a full 10-minute video of the unfolding event here.

Australia’s social media ban doesn’t include online gaming
Now that social media platforms are regulated in Australia, effective last week, what about online gaming platforms? Australia’s recent ban on kids under 16 on social media apparently did not include gaming platforms, but critics and experts argue that they are just as damaging to children, especially when they play excessively. Gaming platforms and social media are said to pose similar risks for children: excessive time spent online, and potential exposure to predators, harmful content, or bullying. Unlike “old-school” games or physical board games, gaming platforms like Discord and Roblox work through Internet connections. An individual who plays games for excessive amounts of time also spends excessive amounts of time on social media platforms where they can see other gamers or can live-stream gaming. Gaming disorder is also now recognised by the World Health Organisation as an official diagnosis and, according to a 2022 Macquarie University study, around 2.8% of Australian children are affected by it.

Reddit challenges Australia’s social media ban
US tech company Reddit Inc has filed a petition with Australia’s High Court to overturn the nation’s social media ban for youths, initiating the first legal challenge from Big Tech. It said that the move infringes the implied freedom of political communication, and enforces “intrusive and potentially insecure verification processes on adults as well as minors”. Reddit also said that the law prevents teens from participating in community experiences with peers, including discussing politics, and creates an “illogical patchwork” of platforms that are and aren’t included in the ban. Australia this week became the world’s first democracy to require technology giants, like Reddit and Meta Platforms Inc’s Instagram, to ban users under 16 or face fines of up to AUD49.5 mil (USD33 mil or RM135.4 mil).

Meanwhile in the US: SAU - shooting as usual 
Meanwhile in America, a shooting attack at the prestigious Rhode Island’s Brown University on Saturday killed 2 people and wounded 9, with 8 of them critically injured. This was the second shooting tragedy on a university campus that occurred this month. The suspect entered Brown’s Barus and Holley building with firearms, home to the school of engineering and the physics department, where students were taking exams. Police said that they have detained a person of interest in connection with the shooting, who is believed to be a man in his 30s. On Dec 9, Kentucky State University in the southern city of Frankfort also experienced gunfire on campus, killing 1 student and leaving a second critically injured. The suspect in that case was identified as Jacob Lee Bard, the parent of a student at the school.

Shorts

1. India’s Messi fans angry over terrible GOAT tour management

   No one likes to be shortchanged, and in India, when it happens, it turns into violence. Football’s GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), Lionel Messi has begun the much-anticipated tour of India, only to be faced with a mob of angry fans who threw a massive tantrum after they failed to get a glimpse of their hero. Fans threw objects, ripped up seats and invaded the pitch after Messi’s scheduled 45-minute visit lasted just 20 minutes. Tickets for the event were priced from about IDR 3,500 (USD 38.65) – more than half of the average weekly income in India, with some paying even more. The organiser of the event has been arrested for mismanagement and made to pledge in writing for ticket refunds. Watch the chaos here and here. 

2. Can you answer this “insane” English test paper from Korea?

   South Korea’s Suneung, held every November, is an infamous eight-hour marathon of back-to-back exams of various subjects, including English, Maths and science, among others. The exam not only dictates whether people will be able to go to university, but can also affect their job prospects, income, and future relationships. The English language exam is particularly known to be notoriously difficult and confusing, so much so that the top official in charge of the paper this year has resigned to take responsibiltiy for the “chaos” that ensued.
   Read the full news and challenge yourself to answer the exam questions.

3. OpenAI and Microsoft sued over murder-suicide blamed on ChatGPT

   ChatGPT maker OpenAI and investor Microsoft are tangled in yet another lawsuit, this time over the murder-suicide of a 56-year-old man who killed himself after killing his 83-year-old mother in New York City. The lawsuit specified that the man had been conversing for months with ChatGPT over his fear that he was under surveillance and people were trying to kill him. ChatGPT was said to be validating each new paranoid belief, and systematically framing the people closest to him - especially his own mother - as adversaries, operatives, or programmed threats.

5. FOR YOUR EYES 📺

The World of Animals

1. Meet the black-footed cat - cute but deadly. It’s the smallest cat in Africa, with the highest hit rate of a successful hunt of any wild cat at 60%. Cat so cute I would pat it anytime.

2. Never-seen-before hunting collab between orcas (aka killer whales) and Pacific white-sided dolphins. This was published recently in the journal Scientific Reports here.

3. How beavers and their dams influence the ecosystem (for the better) and mitigate the impact of wildfires. Fascinating. Watch more for further elaboration here.

3. Animals in the world of movies. Watch the first trailer of the animated movie ‘Animal Farm’ (starring Seth Rogen) based on George Orwell’s novel of the same name. The famous quote, “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others”, is from this book.