How Do I Check If a Licence Is Real?
This is the actual, official check — not a workaround. KPKT (the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, not Bank Negara Malaysia) built the i-KrediKom app specifically so borrowers can search a company name or licence number and get a direct answer on current status.
Under the Moneylenders Act 1951 (Act 400) (opens in a new tab) , licensed lenders are required to display their original licence at their business premises, and every individual advertisement needs its own separate advertisement permit from the Registrar — a company can hold a valid lending licence and still be advertising illegally if a specific ad was never permitted.
Use KPKT's i-KrediKom app or kpkt.gov.my to search the lender's company name or licence number directly — the only check that confirms current status. Licensing has run under the Moneylenders Act 1951 since then, administered by KPKT, not Bank Negara Malaysia; a number shown in an ad is a claim, not proof.
The official i-KrediKom check
It's free, and it's the only verification that actually confirms anything — a licence number printed in an advertisement or shown on a signboard is a claim the lender is making, not independent proof.
Lenders checking their own ad copy for the same compliance issues — missing licence display, an ad running without its own separate advertisement permit — can run it through our free Loan Ad Compliance Checker before it publishes.
Licence and advertisement permit
WL and WP numbers
Multiple independent sources consistently describe genuine licence numbers as beginning with "WL" and advertising permit numbers with "WP," though the safest check is always i-KrediKom directly, not the prefix pattern alone.
More detail on this section
Bank Negara Malaysia and moneylending
One thing worth knowing: Bank Negara Malaysia doesn't regulate moneylending at all — BNM has published its own pages clarifying this and warning about fake licences falsely claiming BNM issuance, which tells you how common that confusion actually is.
For a step-by-step consumer walkthrough of the KPKT register itself — how the i-KrediKom and kpkt.gov.my lookups work, what a valid licence looks like on each surface, and the red flags of unlicensed operators — see the dedicated licensed money lender list Malaysia (KPKT) guide.
For how licence-verification fits alongside acquisition-funnel economics, ad-copy compliance and PDPA/DNC controls, see the full loan marketing programme. The Singapore equivalent — the Ministry of Law's Registry of Moneylenders — is a different licensing regime under the Moneylenders Act; our cross-market reference is on Singapore's licensed moneylender list.
Service line this sits inside: shakalakaa runs the Meta Ads and paid social service in Malaysia practice this compliance/cost surface is written for; the discipline described above is delivered inside that engagement.
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Case study Frequently Asked Questions
Who issues a money lending license in Malaysia?
A money lending license Malaysia lenders hold is issued by KPKT, the Ministry of Local Government Development, under the Moneylenders Act 1951. Ads we run for licensed lenders show the lender's licence details and never promise approval.
How do I check if a money lending licence in Malaysia is real?
Use KPKT's i-KrediKom app, or search directly at kpkt.gov.my, with the company name or licence number. This is the only verification that confirms current, valid status — the number printed in an ad or on a signboard is not itself proof.
Does Bank Negara Malaysia license moneylenders?
No. This is a common misconception — BNM has published its own "clarification" and scam-warning pages about it. Moneylending licences in Malaysia are issued by KPKT (the Ministry of Housing and Local Government) under the Moneylenders Act 1951, not by Bank Negara.
What should a genuine licensed moneylender show me?
A current licence displayed at the business premises (required under the Act, with real penalties for not displaying it), and — per multiple independent sources describing KPKT's numbering convention — a licence number generally starting with "WL" and an advertising permit number starting with "WP". Always confirm via i-KrediKom rather than the prefix alone.
What if a "lender" avoids giving a straight answer about their licence?
Treat that as a red flag on its own. A genuinely licensed lender can be checked in under a minute via i-KrediKom — reluctance to be checked, or a licence number that doesn't resolve in KPKT's system, is a stronger signal than any other reassurance the ad gives.