British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Bhd. said illicit cigarettes accounted for 56% of Malaysia’s total cigarette market volume as of July, down slightly from 56.2% in May but up from 54% at the end of 2025. The company welcomed the government’s enforcement funding under Budget 2027.
BAT Malaysia reported third-quarter net profit of RM2.3 million on revenue of RM302 million, compared with revenue of RM300.8 million a year earlier. For the first nine months of 2026, revenue fell to RM977.6 million from RM1.2 billion, while the company reported a net loss of RM22.2 million, compared with RM24.5 million in the first half. The legal cigarette market contracted 3.9%, while BAT Malaysia’s sales volume fell 21.1%, reducing its market share by 1.9 percentage points. The company declared an interim dividend of two sen per share, totaling RM5.7 million, payable on Dec. 28.
