Malaysia’s nationwide utility firm, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), has misplaced round $1.1 billion in electrical energy income as a result of electrical energy theft by crypto miners between 2020 and August 2025. The unlawful crypto mining services working on 13,827 recognized premises have been draining Malaysia’s electrical energy since 2020, and the power ministry described these sorts of actions as a “critical risk to the nationwide power provide system.” The ministry mentioned in a parliamentary reply tabled on Tuesday (Nov 18) that it recognized 13,827 premises that have been concerned in unlawful cryptocurrency mining, primarily Bitcoin, reportedly by utilizing unauthorized electrical energy to function mining hubs. The Power Transition and Water Transformation Ministry assured that it’s working together with TNB and a number of enforcement businesses to handle theft and discover a clear decision. TNB additionally acknowledged the exercise and created a database consisting of the data of homeowners and tenants suspected of stealing electrical energy to energy their mining services. 

Additionally Learn: UAE’s Zand Financial institution Wins Approval to Launch Dirham‑Backed Stablecoin    

The ministry acknowledged that these actions not solely threatened consumer security but additionally jeopardised the nation’s financial stability, elevated public security dangers, and posed a critical risk to the nationwide power provide system. 

Malaysia doesn’t have unique laws concentrating on or making cryptocurrency mining unlawful, however the miners are obliged to comply with and adjust to the federal government rules, comparable to registration, environmental assessments, and power effectivity audits, and many others. Malaysian police are strengthening their operation in opposition to the crypto mining utilizing unauthorized electrical energy. In line with the most recent info, a number of raids have been carried out in suspected areas throughout the nation for the reason that starting of 2025. The Bernama nationwide information company reported that the police arrested eight males in Northern Malaysia two weeks in the past, they usually seized Bitcoin machines and several other four-wheel drive autos that have been a part of the unlawful crypto mining.   

Deputy Minister of Power Transition and Water Transformation, Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, mentioned in July that, based mostly on statistics since 2018, the overall losses as a consequence of power theft by unlawful bitcoin mining actions have been RM4.8 billion, a really giant determine. Subsequently, they wanted to redouble their efforts to stop that exercise. He acknowledged that statistically, in 2023 to 2024, a complete of two,399 circumstances had been recorded, whereas by June that yr alone, it had reached 1,800 circumstances. He added that this example posed a significant problem to legislation enforcement as a result of perpetrators have been more and more daring to take dangers to be able to make a revenue via unlawful bitcoin mining.

Additionally Learn: Vitalik Buterin Warns Quantum Tech May Break Bitcoin and Ethereum by 2028