DCR 2026: What Estate Agency Firms Must Report Under AMLA, and How to Prepare

Registered estate agency firms are reporting institutions under Malaysia's anti-money laundering law. Each year Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) asks them to account for how they comply, through the Data and Compliance Report. For 2026 the window is fixed and short, and it closes on 30 September.

What is the DCR 2026?

The Data and Compliance Report (DCR) 2026 is a supervisory return that Bank Negara Malaysia issues to reporting institutions, including registered estate agents. It shows how each firm complies with the AML/CFT/CPF and Targeted Financial Sanctions requirements, and helps BNM monitor money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing risks.

BNM acts as the Competent Authority under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA). In its 30 June 2026 circulars, it describes the DCR as a supervisory tool for assessing compliance with its AML/CFT/CPF and TFS policy document for DNFBPs and non-bank financial institutions. BNM also notes that firms can use the DCR to assess themselves and to feed their own institutional risk assessments.

The Board passed the notice on to the industry on 12 June 2026 in Notification 14/2026. It followed up on 8 July with Notification 19/2026, which forwarded BNM's circulars and the townhall details.

Who must submit the DCR 2026?

Every reporting institution in the Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBP) sector must submit. BNM's 30 June 2026 circular names registered estate agents alongside lawyers, accountants, company secretaries, moneylenders, pawnbrokers, dealers in precious metals or stones, and trust, leasing and factoring companies.

For estate agency, the obligation sits with the registered firm, not with each negotiator. The firm's Compliance Officer is the natural owner of the return.

Is BNM inspecting estate agencies for AMLA compliance?

Yes. Under LPPEH (BOVAEP) Notification 23/2025 of 22 December 2025, BNM's Financial Intelligence and Enforcement Department appointed Deloitte, PwC and Forvis Mazars to carry out AML/CFT/CPF and Targeted Financial Sanctions on-site examinations of Registered Estate Agents in the Klang Valley, from December 2025 to February 2026.

The appointed firms are Deloitte Business Advisory Sdn Bhd, PricewaterhouseCoopers Risk Services Sdn Bhd and Forvis Mazars Advisory Sdn Bhd. Examiners carry two documents: a BNM Authority Letter signed by FIED's Deputy Director, and a BNM Authorisation Letter issued to their firm and signed by BNM's Deputy Governor. Ask to see both before you share any records. The DCR and an on-site examination both test the same compliance, so preparing for one helps with the other.

When and how is the DCR 2026 submitted on BNM's portal?

Online only, through BNM's Dynamic Submissions Portal (DSP), the DCR portal, between 1 July and 30 September 2026. Notification 14/2026 says no manual submissions are accepted and the portal opens only when the window starts. Each firm must also have a Compliance Officer appointed and notified to BNM.

What should a firm do before filing?

Confirm the firm has a Compliance Officer and that BNM has been notified of the appointment. Read BNM's Compliance Officer Guide. Then gather the year's records on customer due diligence, risk assessment and reporting, so the DSP return can be completed in one sitting once the portal opens.

1. Compliance Officer. Check that the appointment is current, and update BNM if the officer has changed.
2. Read the guide. BNM's Compliance Officer Guide sets out the role and its responsibilities, and is attached to Notification 14/2026.
3. Pull your records. Bring together the records that show the firm's compliance during the year, such as customer due diligence files and the firm's risk assessment.
4. File early. The portal opens on 1 July. A late-September rush leaves no time to fix a missing figure.
5. Keep a copy. Save the submitted return and the acknowledgement with the firm's compliance file.

Where can estate agents get practical AMLA and DCR training?

PEPS Ventures runs AMLA programmes for real estate practitioners. Its BNM AMLA Practical Workshop 2026, a DCR and STR submission-readiness clinic, takes place on 18 September 2026 at the RISM Resource Centre in Petaling Jaya, and ends with a 30-minute consultation on firm-level compliance.

The workshop builds on PEPS Ventures' foundation course, BNM AMLA Compliance 2026, which ran online on 24 February and in person on 11 March 2026. The September clinic covers:

• An AMLA recap and current regulatory updates
• Understanding the DCR and preparing it correctly
• Identifying red flags and knowing when a Suspicious Transaction Report (STR) is required
• Internal controls and reporting procedures for an agency
• A consultation session on your own firm's compliance documents

It is aimed at registered estate agents (E) and negotiators (REN), property managers and valuers, compliance officers, and agency principals. Details and registration are on the PEPS Ventures programme page.

What is the legal basis for the DCR 2026?

BNM issues the DCR 2026 under sections 8(3)(a), 16(6) and 25(2) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA), section 143(2) of the Financial Services Act 2013 and section 155(2) of the Islamic Financial Services Act 2013.

BNM's circular to registered estate agents and the other DNFBP sectors is dated 30 June 2026. LPPEH forwarded it to the profession with Notification 19/2026 on 8 July.

Who in the firm should handle the DCR?

The firm's Compliance Officer. Notification 14/2026 tells every reporting institution to make sure a Compliance Officer has been appointed and that BNM has been notified through the Compliance Officer Notification Form. BNM's townhall for registered estate agents was open to the Compliance Officer or up to two representatives.

Whoever holds the role needs portal access when the window opens and the firm's records to hand.

Does the DCR apply to valuers and property managers?

BNM's 30 June 2026 DNFBP circular names registered estate agents, not valuers or property managers, as reporting institutions for DCR 2026. Valuation or property management firms that also hold an estate agency registration should check their own position with BNM directly.

Frequently asked questions

What is the DCR 2026 deadline?

30 September 2026. The window opened on 1 July 2026.

Can the DCR be submitted by email or on paper?

No. Notification 14/2026 says submissions are accepted only through the Dynamic Submissions Portal.

Does each negotiator file a DCR?

No. The reporting institution is the registered estate agency firm.

Is there training on preparing the DCR and STR?

Yes. PEPS Ventures' BNM AMLA Practical Workshop 2026 on 18 September 2026 covers DCR and STR preparation and ends with a consultation clinic.

If your firm has not confirmed its Compliance Officer with BNM, do that this week, before the return itself. Then book the Compliance Officer into the PEPS Ventures DCR and STR clinic on 18 September, so the return is reviewed before it is filed. See every upcoming AMLA and CPD programme on the PEPS Ventures learning page. For questions about your own CPD record, contact the PEPS Secretariat at Plaza Damas, Sri Hartamas.

Sources: LPPEH (BOVAEP) Notification 14/2026 (12 June 2026) and Notification 19/2026 (8 July 2026) and Notification 23/2025 (22 December 2025); Bank Negara Malaysia's DCR 2026 circular of 30 June 2026; PEPS Ventures programme page.