Mandatory sustainability assurance requirements deferred to 2028

18 September 2026

On 17 September 2026, the Advisory Committee on Sustainability Reporting (“ACSR”), chaired by the Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”), announced the deferral of mandatory reasonable assurance for Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions disclosures under the National Sustainability Reporting Framework (“NSRF”). The deferral provides entities with additional time to strengthen their sustainability reporting processes, internal controls and data quality.

The revised implementation timeline is as follows:

• Group 1: Main Market issuers with market capitalisation of RM2 billion and above, from annual reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2028, deferred from 1 January 2027;
• Group 2: Other Main Market issuers, deferred to 2029; and
• Group 3: ACE Market issuers and large non-listed companies with annual revenue of RM2 billion and above, deferred to 2030.

ACSR also required independent sustainability assurance to be conducted in accordance with ISSA 5000 as the designated recognised assurance standard, with ISAE 3000 (Revised) and ISO no longer recommended as assurance standards.