Southeast Asian Crypto Mining Epidemic Sparks Concerns of Electricity Theft and Organized Crime
Crypto mining has become a major problem in Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia. According to Deutsche Welle, Malaysian authorities recently cracked down on an illegal cryptocurrency mining operation in Johor, where 71 mining machines were found operating around the clock across four rented properties.
The syndicate had bypassed electricity meters, causing estimated losses of around €14,500 (US$16,600) in just one month. The operation was believed to have generated between €17,200 and €21,500 in monthly revenue.
In Malaysia, between 2020 and 2025, national utility company Tenaga Nasional Berhad identified nearly 14,000 premises linked to electricity theft for cryptocurrency mining, resulting in cumulative losses of around €1.1 billion.
Crypto mining itself is legal in many countries, but authorities are increasingly finding links between illegal mining operations and broader criminal activities, including online gambling, money laundering, and cyber scam networks.