Who Regulates What: Malaysian Sector Licence Directory

There is no master list of Malaysian business licences. MalaysiaBiz carries information across federal, state and local authorities, BLESS handles 49 federal licences from 18 authorities, and neither is exhaustive.

So the practical route to your regulator is backwards: identify the statute that governs your activity, and the regulator falls out of it. This directory does that step.

Every Act number below was checked against the Attorney General’s Chambers legislation portal. Where a number could not be confirmed, the Act is named without one rather than guessed at — a missing number is a gap, a wrong one sends you to the wrong law.

Financial services and capital markets

Regulator	Governing statute	What it issues	Site
Bank Negara Malaysia	Financial Services Act 2013 (Act 758)	Banking, insurance, payment system and payment instrument approvals	bnm.gov.my
Bank Negara Malaysia	Islamic Financial Services Act 2013 (Act 759)	Islamic banking and takaful licences	bnm.gov.my
Bank Negara Malaysia	Money Services Business Act 2011 (Act 731)	Money changing, remittance and wholesale currency licences	bnm.gov.my
Bank Negara Malaysia	Development Financial Institutions Act 2002 (Act 618)	Prescribed institution oversight	bnm.gov.my
Securities Commission Malaysia	Capital Markets and Services Act 2007 (Act 671)	Capital Markets Services Licence and Representative’s Licence across eight regulated activities, recognised market operator registration	sc.com.my
Labuan FSA	Labuan Financial Services Authority Act 1996 (Act 545); Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010 (Act 704); Labuan Islamic Financial Services and Securities Act 2010 (Act 705); Labuan Companies Act 1990 (Act 441)	Labuan entity licensing	labuanfsa.gov.my
KPKT, through Bahagian Kawalan Kredit Komuniti	Moneylenders Act 1951 (Act 400); Pawnbrokers Act 1972 (Act 81)	Moneylending and pawnbroking licences	kpkt.gov.my
KPDN	Hire-Purchase Act 1967 (Act 212), amended by Act A1783 in force 1 June 2026	Hire-purchase regulation	kpdn.gov.my

Payments is the recurring trap. A business taking card or wallet payments usually does not need its own BNM approval, because the gateway or acquirer carries the licence. Holding customer funds, issuing a payment instrument or operating a payment system is a different question entirely.

Communications, media and data

Regulator	Governing statute	What it issues	Site
MCMC	Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588); MCMC Act 1998 (Act 589)	Network facilities, network services, applications services and content applications licences, individual and class. Social media and internet messaging services became class-licensable on 1 January 2025	mcmc.gov.my
MCMC	Postal Services Act 2012 (Act 741)	Postal and courier service licences	mcmc.gov.my
Personal Data Protection Commissioner	Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Act 709), amended by Act A1727	Data controller registration for the 13 prescribed classes; data protection officer and breach notification duties from 1 June 2025	pdp.gov.my
MyIPO	Trade marks, patents and industrial designs legislation; Copyright Act 1987 (Act 332)	Registrations, and declaration of collective management organisations under s.27A	myipo.gov.my

Trade, consumers and distribution

Regulator	Governing statute	What it issues	Site
KPDN	Guidelines on foreign participation in distributive trade	WRT distributive trade approval	kpdn.gov.my
KPDN	Franchise Act 1998 (Act 590)	Franchisor, franchisee and broker registration	kpdn.gov.my
KPDN	Direct Sales and Anti-Pyramid Scheme Act 1993 (Act 500)	Direct selling licence	kpdn.gov.my
KPDN	Control of Supplies Act 1961 (Act 122)	Controlled goods licences and permits	kpdn.gov.my
KPDN	Petroleum Development Act 1974 (Act 144); Petroleum and Electricity (Control of Supplies) Act 1974 (Act 128)	Petroleum supply controls	kpdn.gov.my
KPDN	Trade Descriptions Act 2011 (Act 730)	Halal certification and marking orders made under s.29	kpdn.gov.my
KPDN	Consumer Protection Act 1999 (Act 599)	Electronic trade transaction duties, now under P.U.(A) 449/2024	kpdn.gov.my
Royal Malaysian Customs	Customs Act 1967 (Act 235)	Import and export licences under the prohibition orders, warehouse and agent licences	customs.gov.my
Royal Malaysian Customs	Service Tax Act 2018 (Act 807); Sales Tax Act 2018	SST registration — a registration regime, not a licence	mysst.customs.gov.my
Licensing Boards established by the Minister	Excise Act 1976 (Act 176); Excise (Sale of Intoxicating Liquors) Regulations 1977, P.U.(A) 156/1977	Public house, beer house, retail shop and wholesale dealer liquor licences under s.35	—
MITI and MIDA	Industrial Co-ordination Act 1975 (Act 156)	Manufacturing licence and the ICA 10 exemption confirmation letter	mida.gov.my
MITI and MIDA	Promotion of Investments Act 1986 (Act 327)	Investment incentives, now largely superseded for manufacturing by the New Incentive Framework	mida.gov.my
Free zone authorities	Free Zones Act 1990 (Act 438)	Free zone operating approvals	—

Health, safety and environment

Regulator	Governing statute	What it issues	Site
Ministry of Health	Food Act 1983 (Act 281) and the Food Hygiene Regulations 2009	Food premises and food handler requirements	moh.gov.my
Ministry of Health	Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586)	Clinic, hospital and facility licences	moh.gov.my
Ministry of Health	Poisons Act 1952 (Act 366)	Poisons licences	pharmacy.gov.my
Medical Device Authority	Medical Device Act 2012 (Act 737); Medical Device Authority Act 2012 (Act 738)	Establishment licence and device registration	mda.gov.my
Ministry of Health	Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342)	Notification and control duties	moh.gov.my
DOSH	Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514). The Factories and Machinery Act 1967 (Act 139) was repealed by the Factories and Machinery (Repeal) Act 2022 (Act 835), in force 1 June 2024	Plant registration, certificates of competency, notifications	dosh.gov.my
Department of Environment	Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127); EIA Order P.U.(A) 195/2015	Prescribed premises licence under s.25(1), EIA approvals, scheduled waste	doe.gov.my
Fire and Rescue Department	Fire Services Act 1988 (Act 341)	Fire certificate for designated premises under s.28	bomba.gov.my

Property, construction and infrastructure

Regulator	Governing statute	What it issues	Site
CIDB	Lembaga Pembangunan Industri Pembinaan Malaysia Act 1994 (Act 520)	Contractor registration, personnel accreditation	cidb.gov.my
Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers	Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers Act 1981 (Act 242) — the words and Property Managers were added by Act A1550, in force 2 January 2018	Registration and practising certificates	lpeph.gov.my
Local authority	Town and Country Planning Act 1976 (Act 172)	Planning permission and change of use	—
Local authority	Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133)	Building plan approval, certificate of completion and compliance	—
Local authority	Local Government Act 1976 (Act 171)	Premise, signboard and by-law licences	—
Energy Commission	Electricity Supply Act 1990 (Act 447); Energy Commission Act 2001 (Act 610)	Electricity supply and installation licences, competency	st.gov.my
SPAN	Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655); Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara Act 2006 (Act 654)	Individual and class water and sewerage licences, water permits	span.gov.my
APAD, through the Director General of Land Public Transport	Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715). SPAD was dissolved by Act 811 from 1 January 2019, and APAD has no establishing statute of its own	Bus, taxi and goods vehicle operator licences and permits, e-hailing intermediation licence	apad.gov.my
CAAM	Civil Aviation Act 1969 (Act 3); Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia Act 2017 (Act 788)	Air operator certificate, air service licence and permit, aerodrome and ground handling licences. MAVCOM was dissolved by Act 856 from 1 August 2025 and CAAM is now the sole civil aviation regulator	caam.gov.my

People, tourism and religion

Regulator	Governing statute	What it issues	Site
JTKSM	Private Employment Agencies Act 1981 (Act 246)	Private employment agency licence	jtksm.mohr.gov.my
Expatriate Services Division, Immigration	Immigration legislation	Company registration for expatriate hiring, Employment Pass	esd.imi.gov.my
MOTAC	Tourism Industry Act 1992 (Act 482)	Tour operating and travel agency business licence, tourist guide licence, tourist accommodation premises registration, through the TOURLIST portal	motac.gov.my
JAKIM and State Islamic Religious Councils	Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking of Halal) Order 2011	Halal certification — the only bodies competent to issue it	halal.gov.my
SSM	Companies Act 2016 (Act 777); Registration of Businesses Act 1956 (Act 197), administered by SSM under the Companies Commission of Malaysia Act 2001 (Act 614)	Incorporation and business registration — not a licence	ssm.com.my
Registrar of Societies	Societies Act 1966 (Revised 2021) (Act 832), which supersedes Act 335	Society registration	ros.gov.my

How to use this

1. Name the activity in one sentence, in terms of how money is earned.
2. Find the statute in the tables above that governs that activity.
3. Go to the regulator’s own site for the current licence classes, conditions and fees. Those move; the statutes do not.
4. Check whether a second regulator engages. Payments, healthcare, construction and food all commonly trigger two.
5. Sequence sector approval before the council licence. Councils routinely ask for the regulator’s approval as a supporting document.

What this directory does not cover

State licensing sits outside it. Land matters, entertainment and places of public amusement, and the state religious authorities that certify halal alongside JAKIM are all State List subjects under the Ninth Schedule and vary between the thirteen states. Sabah and Sarawak run their own business licensing statutes entirely.

Professional bodies are separate again. Doctors, lawyers, engineers, architects, accountants, surveyors and secretaries are regulated by their own boards under their own Acts, and those admissions are personal rather than corporate.

Common mistakes

• Searching for the agency instead of the statute. Ministries are reorganised and renamed; Acts are not.
• Assuming one activity means one regulator. A private clinic answers to the Ministry of Health, DOSH, the council and possibly the Medical Device Authority.
• Applying to the council first. The sector approval is usually the supporting document the council wants to see.
• Treating SSM registration as a licence. It is on this list only to make the point that it is not one.
• Relying on an Act number from a secondary source. Several widely quoted numbers could not be confirmed against the AGC portal, which is why they are omitted here.

What’s next

Take the statute you identified, open the regulator’s own site, and read the current licence conditions there rather than in any summary — including this one. Then check the sequencing against the wider licence map before you commit to premises or a hire.