The Ministry of Finance (MOF, Kementerian Kewangan) is the ministry of the Government of Malaysia responsible for both government expenditure and revenue raising. It develops economic policy, prepares the federal Budget the Minister tables in Parliament each October, and oversees financial legislation and regulation. Four federal departments and roughly fourteen major agencies — from Customs and LHDN to Bank Negara — sit beneath it. A separate meaning, the 'MOF licence', refers to registering as a government supplier through ePerolehan.
- MOF is charged with government expenditure and revenue raising; it develops economic policy, prepares the federal Budget, and oversees financial legislation and regulation
- The Minister of Finance presents the federal Budget to Parliament every October
- It was established on 31 August 1957 and is headquartered at the Ministry of Finance Complex, Precinct 2, Putrajaya
- Four departments sit under it — the Federal Treasury (Perbendaharaan), Royal Malaysian Customs, the Accountant General's Department, and Valuation & Property Services
- Its agencies include LHDN, EPF/KWSP, Bank Negara, the Securities Commission, Bursa Malaysia, Bank Simpanan Nasional and KWAP
- Minister of Finance (Incorporated), or MOF Inc, is a body corporate under the Minister of Finance (Incorporation) Act 1957 that holds assets for the government
- The separate 'MOF registration' is supplier registration through ePerolehan — an MOF Account costs RM450 and is valid for 3 years
Who this applies to: Citizens and students who want to understand what the Ministry of Finance is and how it is structured, and readers trying to distinguish the ministry from the 'MOF registration' businesses need to sell to the government.
On this page
Every ringgit the federal government collects and spends passes through one institution: the Ministry of Finance. It is the ministry of the Government of Malaysia charged with responsibility for both government expenditure and revenue raising — it develops economic policy, prepares the Malaysian federal Budget, and oversees financial legislation and regulation. In Malay it is the Kementerian Kewangan, and its core machinery is the Federal Treasury, or Perbendaharaan. This page explains the institution and then untangles it from the separate thing people mean when they search “MOF registration”.
Who runs it and where does it sit?
The Ministry was established on 31 August 1957 and is headquartered at the Ministry of Finance Complex, No. 5 Persiaran Perdana, Precinct 2, Putrajaya (62592). It functions as a central agency for the country’s financial management and economic development, working alongside the Prime Minister’s Department (Economic Planning Unit), other ministries and Bank Negara Malaysia.
| Role | Holder (as of Aug 2026) |
|---|---|
| Minister of Finance | Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim |
| Minister of Finance II | Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah bin Azizan |
| Secretary-General of Treasury | Datuk Johan Mahmood bin Merican |
Officeholders change with Cabinet reshuffles, so confirm current names and any deputy ministers at mof.gov.my.
What does the Ministry actually do?
The Ministry sits on both sides of the government’s balance sheet — raising revenue and controlling spending. Its official portal organises the work into four content areas: Economic & Fiscal, Budget, Tax, and Procurement.
The most visible moment in that cycle is the Budget. Each year in October, the Minister of Finance presents the Malaysian federal Budget to Parliament, setting out the government’s planned revenue and expenditure for the year ahead.
The institution is older than its 1957 date suggests. Its roots trace to centralised financial administration under the Federal Council Agreement signed on 25 October 1909 — Henry George Bagnall Vane served as the first Financial Commissioner (1909–1915) — and to Treasury Circular No. 15 of 1951, which fully integrated state financial administration and established the Federal Treasury as the central agency for revenue and expenditure.
Which departments and agencies fall under it?
Two layers sit beneath the Ministry. Departments are part of the civil service; agencies are largely statutory bodies with their own boards. The portal lists roughly fourteen major agencies.
| Type | Body | Handles |
|---|---|---|
| Department | Federal Treasury (Perbendaharaan) | Core financial machinery |
| Department | Royal Malaysian Customs Department | Indirect tax and customs |
| Department | Accountant General’s Department | Government accounts and payments |
| Department | Valuation & Property Services Department | Government property valuation |
| Agency | Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) | Direct tax collection |
| Agency | Bank Negara Malaysia | Central bank; monetary policy |
| Agency | Securities Commission Malaysia | Capital-market regulation |
| Agency | Employees Provident Fund (EPF/KWSP) | Private-sector retirement savings |
| Agency | Retirement Fund (KWAP) | Public-sector pensions |
| Agency | Bursa Malaysia; Bank Simpanan Nasional | Stock exchange; savings bank |
What is Minister of Finance (Incorporated), or MOF Inc?
Minister of Finance (Incorporated) — MOF Inc — is a body corporate in the name of the Minister of Finance, established under the Minister of Finance (Incorporation) Act 1957. It can enter contracts, make acquisitions, and hold tangible and intangible assets on behalf of the government. It is the legal vehicle through which the federal government owns commercial assets, and is distinct from the ministry’s day-to-day administration.
Is “MOF registration” the same as the Ministry?
No — and this is the confusion the search results never resolve. ePerolehan is Malaysia’s e-procurement portal, operated by the Ministry of Finance, through which suppliers register to transact with the government. A Basic Account is for Malaysian citizens with transactions up to RM20,000, at no fee; an MOF Account covers transactions of RM20,000 and above, split into Contractor and Consultant categories. An MOF Account costs RM450 for new registration or renewal, valid for 3 years. So the “MOF licence” a business needs is a supplier registration through ePerolehan — not a matter for the ministry’s policy offices.
What’s next
To register as a government supplier, start at the ePerolehan portal (eperolehan.gov.my). To follow the institution — leadership, the October Budget, and its full agency list — the authoritative source is the official portal at mof.gov.my. Note that several figures here (the ministry’s own budget allocation, staff headcount, and the exact agency count) should be reconfirmed against current official estimates before being treated as live.
What is the difference between MOF the ministry and an 'MOF registration'?
They are two different things people type into the same search box. MOF the ministry is the Government of Malaysia's finance ministry — revenue, spending and the Budget. An 'MOF registration' or 'MOF licence' means registering as a government supplier through ePerolehan, the Ministry's e-procurement portal, so your company can bid on and transact with the government.
Who leads the Ministry of Finance?
As of August 2026, the Minister of Finance is Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, with Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah bin Azizan as Minister of Finance II and Datuk Johan Mahmood bin Merican as Secretary-General of Treasury. Officeholders change with Cabinet reshuffles, so verify current names at mof.gov.my.
The following are deliberately unstated or described only qualitatively until confirmed by a subject-matter expert:
- Current officeholders change frequently — confirm the sitting Deputy Finance Minister(s) and exact appointment dates at publish time; state officeholders with an 'as of <date>' qualifier.
- The MYR 46,981,917,800 (2026) figure is the ministry's own budget allocation, not the national federal budget — confirm framing and source it to the official 2026 Budget expenditure estimates before stating.
- Exact current count of agencies/statutory bodies under MOF (portal says '14 major agencies', Wikipedia infobox lists 13) — reconcile against the portal's current 'Departments & Agencies' listing at publish time.
- Employee headcount '30,735 (2022)' is dated — check for a newer figure before presenting as current.
- Specific companies held by MOF Inc — verify each named holding against a primary/official source before listing (e.g. Petronas ownership is vested via the Petroleum Development Act, not simply 'owned by MOF Inc').
- Formation framing: history traces roots to the 1909 Federal Council and the 1951 Treasury Circular No. 15; the 31 August 1957 date is the modern-ministry date — present both rather than a single 'founded' date.
Sources
- Ministry of Finance (Malaysia) — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Ministry of Finance Official Portal — Ministry of Finance Malaysia
- Ministry of Finance Malaysia — History — Ministry of Finance Malaysia
- Minister of Finance (Incorporated) — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- New Supplier Registration — ePerolehan — ePerolehan / Ministry of Finance Malaysia
Change history
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.00 | 14 Aug 2026 | Approved and published. | — |