Securities Commission Malaysia makes digital-asset broking an explicit licensed lane

Securities Commission Malaysia’s 30 January 2026 practice note allowing certain CMSL holders to provide digital-asset broking under explicit sourcing, custody, segregation, and client-protection controls.

Malaysia’s 30 January 2026 practice note is the clearest official statement yet that certain CMSL holders may broker digital assets.

The change is the formalisation of a control stack: prior notification to the SC, third-party validation of operational readiness, approved-venue sourcing, SC-concurred assets, cash-upfront trading, no margin or discretionary authority, segregation of client assets, DAC custody, and records showing that client benefits accrue to the client.

Malaysia now has an explicit regulated broking-and-custody lane, not just a venue-only or retail-crypto narrative.

The 30 January 2026 practice note opens a defined pathway for certain Capital Markets Services Licence holders to broker digital assets, but only inside a control stack built around approved-venue sourcing, SC-concurred assets, DAC custody, segregation, and client-benefit recordkeeping.