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  • KT&G Partners with Lamborghini on 3-Second HTP 

    KT&G Partners with Lamborghini on 3-Second HTP 

    KT&G announced it is partnering with the Italian high-end lifestyle brand to launch the Lil Tonino Lamborghini heated tobacco device in South Korea on Sept. 15, featuring new “flashwave heating technology” that uses microwaves to heat the stick internally. Its three-second preheating time is more than five times faster than existing products. 

    The premium device features a full-metal aluminum body, color display, and dedicated interface showing heating status, battery level, and remaining puffs. It will be offered in four colors, with sales through 8,300 Seoul convenience stores and Lil’s online and flagship stores. 

    KT&G will also introduce five dedicated NAU stick variants. The launch marks the first major Lil brand platform update since 2022, as KT&G seeks to strengthen its position in next-generation tobacco products. 

  • Thailand Simplifying Cigarette Tax, Tightening Controls 

    Thailand Simplifying Cigarette Tax, Tightening Controls 

    Thailand’s Excise Department is preparing to replace the current two-tier cigarette tax with a single rate, aiming to improve revenue collection and remove pricing distortions. Cigarettes priced up to THB72 ($2.16) per pack currently face a 25% tax, compared with 42% above the threshold, resulting in more than 95% of cigarettes being priced at the low end. The proposal is under review before submission to the Finance Ministry, with the policy direction expected by October 2026. 

    Separately, the department plans to require excise tax to be paid upfront on cigarettes for export, with refunds issued after Customs confirms the goods left Thailand. The measure is intended to prevent tax-exempt export cigarettes from being diverted into the domestic market and is expected to take effect by end-2026. 

    Thailand is also expanding data-led enforcement against illicit tobacco. In the first 11 months of fiscal 2026, the Excise Department recorded 35,739 enforcement cases, up 5.8%, while estimated fines rose nearly 15% to THB6.27 billion ($188 million). Tobacco offences increased 32.7%. 

  • Filipino Lawmakers Weigh Unified Vape Tax  

    Filipino Lawmakers Weigh Unified Vape Tax  

    Philippine lawmakers are considering a single excise tax for vape products, as health advocates push for a rate of at least P80 ($1.28) to discourage youth access and curb nicotine addiction. The House committee on ways and means is studying a unified rate for salt-nicotine and freebase products, citing existing tax disparities and their potential impact on consumer behavior and illicit trade. 

    The Department of Finance and Department of Health have proposed a unified P72.93 ($1.17) tax by 2027 covering cigarettes, heated tobacco, and vape products. Health groups argue this is too low, while a proposal by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez would set the vape rate at P15 ($0.24) per milliliter, with the aim of balancing revenue collection against the risk of driving consumers toward illegal products. 

  • Illegal Cigarette Trade Costs Suriname $40M 

    Illegal Cigarette Trade Costs Suriname $40M 

    Illegal cigarette trading remains a major challenge in Suriname, with government revenue losses estimated at $40 million per year, according to a presentation to the parliamentary committee overseeing the Ministry of Economic Affairs. The presentation linked the expansion of smuggling to tax increases introduced in 2006, noting that illicit trade persists despite periods of improvement. Smugglers are moving both genuine cigarettes and counterfeit “cheap whites” into the country. 

    Authorities also highlighted links between cigarette smuggling and other criminal activities, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, weapons trading, and money laundering. Free-trade zones remain an important enforcement challenge, with importers and traders continually developing new methods to evade detection. 

    The presentation called for greater coordination among finance, trade, security and public-health authorities to address the illicit market and protect government revenues. 

  • FDA Authorizes Three Juul2 Products

    FDA Authorizes Three Juul2 Products

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it has authorized three products in the Juul2 e-cigarette system made by Juul Labs through the premarket tobacco product application pathway. The authorization covers the Juul2 device and 18 mg/mL tobacco- and menthol-flavored pods, equivalent to roughly 1.5% to 1.6% nicotine concentration. The FDA previously authorized several Juul products in tobacco and menthol flavors at 3% and 5% nicotine concentrations in July 2025.

    The FDA said its review found that a substantial proportion of adults who smoke completely switched from cigarettes to the authorized Juul2 products. At six weeks, 19.9% to 34.6% of users of the tobacco-flavored pod and 28.4% to 49.3% of users of the menthol pod had stopped smoking completely, with the menthol product showing the higher switching rate. Adults who switched completely were exposed to lower levels of harmful chemicals than if they had continued smoking.

    The FDA determined that the population-health benefits for adults who smoke outweighed the risks of the menthol product, including its potential appeal to youth. The agency stressed that complete switching provides greater health benefits than dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. The three authorizations bring the total number of e-cigarette products authorized by the FDA to 48.

  • Altria Adds Refresco Executive to Board

    Altria Adds Refresco Executive to Board

    Altria Group Inc. announced that it elected Steven W. Presley to its board of directors, effective Aug. 27. Presley has served as CEO of Refresco Benelux B.V., a global beverage solutions provider, since August 2025. He previously held several senior positions at Nestlé S.A., including CEO of Zone Americas from October 2024 to April 2025 and CEO of Zone North America from 2021 to 2024. Presley joined Nestlé USA in 1997 and held roles including CEO, CFO, and chief transformation officer. At Altria, he will serve on the Compensation and Talent Development; Innovation; and Finance committees.

  • Calif. Bans Disposable Nicotine Vapes

    Calif. Bans Disposable Nicotine Vapes

    California lawmakers passed legislation that would ban disposable nicotine vapes, with Assembly Bill 762 now awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. The bill, which passed the Senate Aug. 25 and Assembly Aug. 26, would prohibit the manufacture and import of single-use, battery-embedded e-cigarettes containing tobacco products beginning Jan. 1, 2027, and the sale or distribution of such devices on January 1, 2028; cannabis devices are exempt. To remain legal, vape devices would need to be refillable or use replaceable pods and have rechargeable batteries.

    Supporters, including bill sponsor Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin and environmental groups, cited litter, toxic waste, and lithium-battery fire risks, while vaping industry representatives have argued that the products help adults quit smoking and warned that restrictions could push some consumers back to combustible cigarettes. California already prohibits most flavored tobacco products, including flavored vapes.

  • Altria Increases Quarterly Dividend to $1.11 Per Share

    Altria Increases Quarterly Dividend to $1.11 Per Share

    Altria Group, Inc. today (Aug. 27) announced that its Board of Directors voted to increase its regular quarterly dividend by 4.7% to $1.11 per share versus the previous rate of $1.06 per share.The quarterly dividend is payable on October 9 to shareholders of record as of September 15.

    The new annualized dividend rate is $4.44 per share, representing a dividend yield of 6.4% based on a closing stock price of $69.12 on August 26.

    Altria said today’s dividend increase is consistent with its progressive dividend goal that targets mid-single-digit dividend per share growth annually through 2028. This increase marks the 61st dividend increase in the past 57 years.

  • Japan Tobacco to Receive $1.6B Dividend from Subsidiary

    Japan Tobacco to Receive $1.6B Dividend from Subsidiary

    Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) announced that it will receive a $1.55 billion (¥252 billion) dividend from its consolidated subsidiary JT International Holding B.V. following a decision by the subsidiary’s board Aug. 24. The dividend was scheduled for receipt Aug. 26 and will be recorded as non-operating income in JT’s nonconsolidated financial statements for fiscal 2026. Because the payment comes from a consolidated subsidiary, JT said it will have no material impact on its consolidated financial results.

  • FDA Releases New Smoking Cessation Posters

    FDA Releases New Smoking Cessation Posters

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Tobacco Products has released new posters encouraging adults who smoke cigarettes to keep trying to quit. The free materials feature positive, motivational messages and direct smokers to EveryTryCounts.gov, a cessation website developed with the National Cancer Institute that offers online counseling and quitting resources. The posters are available to healthcare professionals, community organizations, and other stakeholders to order, download, and print through FDA’s Tobacco Education Resource Library.