The Companies Act 2016 (Act 777) is Malaysia's principal corporate statute, in force from 31 January 2017 in place of the Companies Act 1965. It governs incorporation, share capital, directors' duties, meetings, financial reporting, charges and winding up, and it is administered by the Companies Commission of Malaysia. Its major amendment, Act A1701, introduced the beneficial ownership regime.
- Act 777; in force 31 January 2017, replacing the Companies Act 1965
- Current consolidated reference is the reprint as at 1 August 2022 plus Act A1701
- Act A1701 received assent 24 January 2024 and was gazetted 2 February 2024
- Act A1701 does not touch sections 196 to 253, so the 2022 reprint remains current for directors' duties
- Administered and enforced by Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM), which also issues binding Practice Directives
- This page is the statute record only — the operating rules live in the linked company-secretary and business articles
Who this applies to: Readers who need the statutory identity, administration and amendment chain of Act 777 rather than a procedure for any single filing.
On this page
This page is the statute record for Act 777 — its identity, administration and amendment chain. The procedures it creates are documented article by article in the company-secretary and business clusters; this page does not repeat them.
At a glance
| Short title | Companies Act 2016 |
| Act number | Act 777 |
| Type | Act of Parliament |
| Commencement | 31 January 2017 |
| Replaced | Companies Act 1965 (Act 125) |
| Administered by | Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM), the Companies Commission of Malaysia |
| Current reference text | Reprint as at 1 August 2022, plus Act A1701 |
What the Act governs
Act 777 covers the whole life of a company: incorporation and constitution, share capital and its alteration, members and the register of members, beneficial ownership, directors and officers and their duties, meetings and resolutions, accounts and audit, registration of charges, corporate rescue mechanisms, striking off, and winding up. It also governs foreign companies registered to carry on business in Malaysia.
Two structural features shape almost every practical question under it. A private company need not adopt a constitution, in which case the Act’s own default provisions and the Third Schedule apply. And shares have no par value, which changes how capital is raised, reduced and returned.
Who administers it
Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia registers companies, receives statutory lodgements, investigates breaches, compounds offences and strikes off defaulters.
The important point for anyone reading the Act: SSM’s Practice Directives carry operative rules the section text does not. Audit exemption criteria, the late-lodgement penalty scale and extension-of-time procedure are all set by directive. A question answered from Act 777 alone will frequently be answered wrongly.
Amendment history
| Instrument | Effect | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Act 777 (principal) | Enacted; replaced the Companies Act 1965 | In force 31 January 2017 |
| Reprint | Current consolidated text | 1 August 2022 |
| Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 (Act A1701) | Beneficial ownership regime, corporate rescue and winding-up changes, new Division 8A | Assent 24 January 2024; gazetted 2 February 2024 |
Act A1701’s scope, stated negatively, is the useful fact. It amends ss.2, 68, 152, 258, 264, 365–368, 395, 403, 406, 411, 433, 536, 562, 567, 576, 582 and 613, and inserts a new Division 8A together with new ss.368A–D, 369A–D, 398A, 415A, 573A and 612A. It does not touch ss.196–253 at all — so the 1 August 2022 reprint remains current for the entire directors’ duties chapter, and commentary implying otherwise is wrong.
The beneficial ownership provisions did not begin biting on 1 July 2024, as is widely repeated. The transitional window was extended to 30 September 2024, and the statutory clocks run from 1 October 2024.
Where the practical rules live
| Topic | Article |
|---|---|
| The administering agency | SSM |
| Incorporating | Register a Sdn Bhd |
| Annual return | Annual return |
| Directors’ duties | Directors’ duties |
| Statutory registers | Statutory registers |
| Beneficial ownership | Beneficial ownership |
| Audit exemption | Audit exemption |
| Filing calendar | Sdn Bhd filing calendar |
Which text of the Companies Act 2016 is current?
The reprint as at 1 August 2022, read together with the Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 (Act A1701). Reading the reprint alone omits the beneficial ownership regime and the other A1701 changes; reading A1701 alone gives you amendments without their context.
Did Act A1701 change directors' duties?
No. Act A1701 amends sections 2, 68, 152, 258, 264, 365 to 368, 395, 403, 406, 411, 433, 536, 562, 567, 576, 582 and 613, and inserts a new Division 8A and new sections. It does not amend sections 196 to 253 at all, so the 1 August 2022 reprint remains current for the whole directors' duties chapter.
Are SSM Practice Directives part of the Act?
They are made under the Act rather than being part of it, but they carry operative force — audit exemption criteria, late lodgement penalties and extension-of-time procedure all sit in Practice Directives, not in the section text. A question answered from the Act alone will often be answered wrongly.
Sources
- Act 777 — Companies Act 2016, principal Act timeline and subsidiary legislation — Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia
- Companies Act 2016 (Act 777), reprint as at 1 August 2022 — SSM
- Companies (Amendment) Act 2024 (Act A1701) — SSM
- Companies Act 2016 — legal framework — SSM
Change history
| Version | Date | Change | By |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01.00 | 20 Jul 2026 | Approved and published. | — |