COMPANIES ACT 2016 (Act 777)
Beneficial Owner
Definition
"Beneficial owner" means the ultimate owner of the shares and does not include a nominee of any description.

Practical Explanation
A beneficial owner is the natural person who ultimately owns or controls the shares in a company and enjoys the economic benefits and rights attached to those shares, regardless of whether the shares are registered in that person's name.
A beneficial owner is the actual owner behind the shareholding arrangement and is distinguished from a person who merely holds shares on behalf of another.
For the purposes of the Companies Act 2016, a nominee is not regarded as the beneficial owner. Characteristics of a Beneficial Owner
A beneficial owner generally:

• Is the ultimate owner of the shares;
• Exercises ultimate ownership or control over the shares;
• Is entitled to the economic benefits arising from the shares, such as dividends and capital gains;
• May exercise influence or control over the company, directly or indirectly; and
• Is not merely holding the shares on behalf of another person.

Who Is Not a Beneficial Owner?
The following are generally not considered beneficial owners under this definition:

• A nominee shareholder;
• A nominee company;
• A trustee holding shares solely on behalf of another person (unless the trustee is also the ultimate owner);
• An agent acting on behalf of another person; or
• Any other person who holds legal title to the shares without being the ultimate owner.

Example
Example 1 – Direct Ownership
Mr. A owns 100% of the shares in ABC Sdn. Bhd. in his own name.
Beneficial Owner: Mr. A Example 2 – Nominee Arrangement
Mr. B is registered as the shareholder of XYZ Sdn. Bhd. but holds the shares solely as a nominee for Ms. C.

• Registered Shareholder: Mr. B
• Ultimate Owner: Ms. C

Beneficial Owner: Ms. C
Mr. B is not the beneficial owner because he merely holds the shares as a nominee. Example 3 – Corporate Shareholder
Company X owns all the shares in Company Y. Mr. D ultimately owns and controls Company X.
Although Company X is the registered shareholder of Company Y, Mr. D is the ultimate beneficial owner through his ownership and control of Company X. Compliance Requirements
Under the Companies Act 2016, companies are required to identify, obtain, maintain, and keep accurate and up-to-date information relating to their beneficial owners in accordance with the beneficial ownership reporting requirements issued by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
Companies and their officers should take reasonable steps to ensure that beneficial ownership information is accurate and is updated whenever there is a change. Importance
Identifying the beneficial owner promotes corporate transparency and accountability by:

• Revealing the natural person who ultimately owns or controls the company;
• Preventing the misuse of nominee arrangements to conceal ownership;
• Supporting compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-financing of terrorism (CFT) requirements;
• Assisting regulatory authorities in identifying the persons exercising ultimate control over a company; and
• Enhancing corporate governance and reducing the risk of financial crime.

《2016 年公司法》（第 777 号法令）

实际受益人（Beneficial Owner）

定义（Definition）

“实际受益人”（Beneficial Owner） 是指股份的最终拥有者（Ultimate Owner of the Shares），并不包括任何形式的代名人（Nominee）。

实务说明（Practical Explanation）

实际受益人（Beneficial Owner）是指最终拥有或控制公司股份，并实际享有该等股份所附带经济利益及权利的自然人（Natural Person），无论该等股份是否以其本人名义登记。

换言之，实际受益人是股权安排背后的真正拥有者（Ultimate Owner），而并非仅代表他人持有股份的人士。

根据《2016 年公司法》，任何形式的代名人（Nominee）均不被视为实际受益人（Beneficial Owner）。

实际受益人的特征（Characteristics of a Beneficial Owner）

实际受益人一般具有以下特征：

• 为股份的最终拥有者（Ultimate Owner of the Shares）；
• 对股份拥有最终拥有权或控制权（Exercises Ultimate Ownership or Control over the Shares）；
• 有权享有股份所产生的经济利益，例如股息（Dividends）及资本增值（Capital Gains）；
• 可直接或间接对公司施加重大影响或控制（Directly or Indirectly Exercises Influence or Control over the Company）；以及
• 并非仅代表他人持有股份。

哪些人士不属于实际受益人？（Who Is Not a Beneficial Owner?）

一般而言，下列人士并不属于《2016 年公司法》所指的实际受益人：

• 代名股东（Nominee Shareholder）；
• 代名公司（Nominee Company）；
• 仅以受托人（Trustee）身份代表他人持有股份的人士（除非该受托人本身亦为最终拥有者）；
• 代理人（Agent）；或
• 任何仅拥有股份法律所有权（Legal Title），但并非最终拥有者的人士。

实例说明（Examples）

例子一：直接持股（Direct Ownership）

A 先生以自己名义持有 ABC Sdn. Bhd. 全部股份。

实际受益人（Beneficial Owner）：A 先生

原因：

A 先生既是登记股东，也是股份的最终拥有者。

例子二：代名持股安排（Nominee Arrangement）

B 先生登记为 XYZ Sdn. Bhd. 的股东，但仅作为 C 女士的代名人（Nominee）持有股份。

登记股东（Registered Shareholder）：B 先生

最终拥有者（Ultimate Owner）：C 女士

实际受益人（Beneficial Owner）：C 女士

由于 B 先生仅代表他人持有股份，因此并非实际受益人。

例子三：公司持股（Corporate Shareholding）

X 公司持有 Y 公司 全部股份，而 D 先生最终拥有及控制 X 公司。

虽然：

登记股东（Registered Shareholder）：X 公司

但由于：

D 先生最终拥有及控制 X 公司，

因此：

Y 公司的实际受益人为 D 先生。

合规要求（Compliance Requirements）

根据《2016 年公司法》及马来西亚公司委员会（SSM）有关**实际受益人申报制度（Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements）**的规定，公司必须：

• 识别实际受益人（Identify Beneficial Owners）；
• 获取实际受益人的相关资料（Obtain Beneficial Ownership Information）；
• 保存完整、准确及最新的实际受益人资料（Maintain Accurate and Up-to-Date Information）；以及
• 按照 SSM 的规定持续更新实际受益人资料，并于资料发生变更时及时作出更新。

公司及其董事、高级管理人员应采取合理措施，确保实际受益人资料真实、准确及保持最新状态。

重要性（Importance）

识别实际受益人制度有助于提升企业透明度及问责制度，其主要目的包括：

• 揭示最终拥有或控制公司的自然人（Natural Person Who Ultimately Owns or Controls the Company）；
• 防止利用代名持股安排（Nominee Arrangements）隐藏真实拥有权；
• 协助遵守反洗黑钱（AML）及反恐融资（CFT）法律规定；
• 协助监管机关识别实际控制公司的人士；
• 提升企业管治水平（Corporate Governance）；以及
• 降低洗黑钱、恐怖融资及其他金融犯罪风险，维护企业经营的透明度及诚信。