The Malaysian Securities Commission (SC) announced that digital asset exchanges in Malaysia will soon be allowed to list tokens independently without case-by-case approval from the regulator.
The announcement was made by SC Executive Director Wong Huei Ching during the Finternet 2025 Asia Digital Finance Summit.
According to Wong, the SC will release new guidelines next year that will grant exchanges greater flexibility in determining which tokens can be traded, as long as they follow an internal governance framework approved by the regulator.
This approach marks a major shift from the manual approval model, which has long been considered a barrier to innovation and the development of Malaysia’s digital asset market.
The new guidelines are expected to provide a balance between investor protection and industry growth, with regulators still requiring exchanges to implement risk assessment standards, AML/KYC compliance, and market surveillance mechanisms.
The SC’s statement also aligns with regional efforts to strengthen competitiveness in the digital asset sector, following the lead of Singapore and Hong Kong, which have already implemented governance-based listing frameworks.
As of now, the SC has not released the full policy document, but the local industry has welcomed this move as a positive signal that could expand asset options while accelerating blockchain innovation in Malaysia.