Global rating agencies have assigned the long-term foreign currency ratings listed above for Malaysia. Rating definitions vary from agency to agency, and can be found by following the links provided below. The home pages of these rating agencies are also linked below.

The Rating Agency Malaysia Bhd (RAM) provides rating definitions for private debt securities, asset-backed securities, and Islamic debt instruments. Malaysian Rating Corporation Bhd (MARC) provides rating definitions for corporate debt, asset-backed securities, and Islamic capital market instruments.

Corporate bond ratings are mandatory. Government and government-guaranteed debt are exempted. On March 2009, the Securities Commission issued new measures to facilitate greater access to the capital market which includes the exemption of the mandatory credit rating requirement for convertible and exchangeable bonds as well as sukuk issues.