Malaysia’s Crown Prince Launches $121M Crypto Treasury Modelled After MicroStrategy

A big move from Southeast Asia today.

At the Bitcoin MENA Conference and through coordinated press releases at home, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, the Regent of Johor and son of Malaysia’s King, unveiled one of the most aggressive sovereign crypto strategies we’ve seen this year.

The Scoop

The Prince’s company Bullish Aim is launching two major initiatives:

• RMJDT Stablecoin: a ringgit-pegged digital currency backed by cash and Malaysian government bonds
• A Digital Asset Treasury Company (DATCO): seeded with RM 500 million (~$121.5M) to purchase Zetrix, the native token of Malaysia’s government-backed Layer-1 blockchain

Both announcements were confirmed Dec 9 by Bloomberg, along with statements from Zetrix and Johor’s royal press office.

The MicroStrategy Playbook Goes Royal

The official DATCO announcement states that the strategy is “modelled after global precedents such as MicroStrategy.”

Meaning:

• Accumulate a strategic reserve of digital assets
• Hold them on company books as long-term treasury capital
• Use the assets to bootstrap a broader digital economy initiative

This is the first time a sitting royal leader has publicly adopted the Saylor framework.

Why This Matters

• Sovereign-Level Validation: This isn’t an influencer, a startup, or a random L1. It’s a Regent of a Malaysian state, part of the monarchy.
• Regulated Launch: RMJDT is being deployed through a regulated sandbox overseen by Bank Negara Malaysia (central bank) and the Securities Commission.
• Trade Infrastructure: Zetrix is already integrated with China’s blockchain-based customs system (MYEG partnership). This move deepens Malaysia’s role in regional digital trade.
• Regional Signal: After last week’s asset tokenization roadmap from Malaysia’s central bank, this accelerates the country’s pivot into institutional crypto.

The Treasury Strategy

Bullish Aim’s DATCO structure mirrors MicroStrategy’s approach almost line-for-line – except instead of Bitcoin, the Crown Prince is buying Zetrix tokens at scale.

Initial allocation: RM 500 million

Use case: Backstop the network and expand cross-border blockchain rails

This marks one of the largest sovereign-aligned crypto treasuries announced in 2025.