IQOS Smoking Room at Manila International Airport

South Korea’s Cabinet has approved an amendment to the Tobacco Business Act that legally classifies liquid e-cigarettes as tobacco products. Under the revision, any product containing tobacco or nicotine will fall under tobacco regulation, explicitly including synthetic nicotine vapes. The move addresses long-standing regulatory and taxation gaps.

PEAKBAR’s new H2O 40K has begun selling through U.S. online retailers including Vape Sourcing. Marketed as the “world’s first multi-beverage vaporizer,” the device is promoted as allowing users to add liquids such as juice and cocktails into a water chamber for pairing. Publicly listed specifications include 20 ml of e-liquid, a rated 40,000 puffs, 0.5% nicotine, a 1,000 mAh rechargeable battery, and two power modes at 22W and 12W.

British American Tobacco (BAT) plans to sell all or part of its stake in ITC Hotels via an accelerated bookbuild, with the sale size expected to be up to 15.3% of the company’s shares. The company says the proceeds will be used to reduce debt and bring its leverage back within the target range.

China has for the first time issued clear regulatory rules for nicotine pouches and other oral nicotine products, formally classifying them under the tobacco monopoly alongside cigarettes and tobacco, ending a long-standing legal grey zone and laying the regulatory groundwork for their potential domestic launch.

BAT Malaysia announced that its independent non-executive director Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Nizom Sairi has been re-designated as board chairman effective January 1, 2026.

Japan Tobacco International (JTI) Malaysia has appointed Didier Ellena as managing director, effective Jan 5. Ellena has spent more than 30 years with JTI and has held leadership roles across multiple countries and regions. His predecessor, Juliana Mohd Yahaya, will become vice president of sales and marketing for JTI North Asia.