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5 Aug 2026 Last logged Bybit Cold Wallet Compromise, February 2025
Jurisdiction · · 1 min read · 94 words ·As of

Crypto Rules in Malaysia

Malaysia prescribes digital currencies and tokens as securities, so exchanges must be registered with the Securities Commission as recognised market operators.

Regulator(s) Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) and Bank Negara Malaysia

Conisec Staff
Written by Conisec Staff Editorial standards Newsroom
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At a glance

IS TRADING LEGAL
Yes, through registered operators. Digital assets are not legal tender.
LICENSING REGIME
Digital asset exchanges must be registered with the Securities Commission as Recognised Market Operators, following an order prescribing digital currencies and digital tokens as securities.
TAX TREATMENT
Malaysia does not levy a general capital gains tax on individuals; trading carried on as a business may fall within income tax.
REPORTING DUTIES
Registered operators are subject to SC requirements and to AML obligations under Malaysian law.
MOST RECENT CHANGE
The SC has periodically acted against unregistered platforms operating into Malaysia, and publishes an investor alert list naming them.

Securities law, extended by order

Rather than write a bespoke statute, Malaysia brought digital assets inside the existing capital markets framework by prescribing digital currencies and digital tokens as securities. The consequence is that operating an exchange is operating a regulated market, and requires registration with the Securities Commission as a Recognised Market Operator.

The alert list is the useful artefact

Malaysia publishes both the register of approved operators and an investor alert list of platforms it considers to be operating without authorisation. For a reader assessing a venue, the second list is often the faster check.

Sources

  1. Securities Commission Malaysia, Digital assets and Recognised Market Operators (1 Jan 2026)

Not legal or tax advice. This is a summary of published rules, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; check the primary sources linked above.

Last reviewed by Conisec Staff. Review cadence: Quarterly.

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