Guide
AKPK is free — and it restructures, not erases, debt
The AKPK Debt Management Programme (DMP) is a free, out-of-court restructuring scheme run by Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit that folds all your creditors into one affordable monthly repayment.
AKPK's debt management programme is free, formal and widely misunderstood. What it restructures, what it costs, and what it does to your record.
Written and checked by the Loankira editorial team
Last reviewed 23 October 2026. Figures follow Malaysian bank practice and the published statutes; where a bank sets its own policy we say so. How we check a page · Who writes here
What the programme actually is
The Debt Management Programme (DMP) is AKPK's free restructuring scheme: a counsellor reviews all your debts, negotiates with participating banks, and sets a single reduced monthly amount across unsecured loans — credit cards, personal loans, and similar. It is not a loan; AKPK adds no margin. It is a formal plan your creditors agree to, which is why completion repairs the record.
Who qualifies, broadly
Individuals with secured and unsecured debts taken from participating financial institutions, struggling to meet repayment but with some income to sustain a reduced instalment. Debts already subject to legal action, bankruptcy proceedings, or in collection with the agency may still be eligible; debts to non-participating lenders (some cooperatives, licensed moneylenders) sit outside the plan. The definitive eligibility check happens in the counselling session itself — go and ask.
The process, end to end
Register online or walk in, bring NRIC, latest statements for every debt, income proof, and 6 months of bank statements. Counselling (about an hour) produces a budget and a proposed restructuring. If you accept, AKPK negotiates reduced instalments, waived penalties, or extended tenures with each bank. You then pay per the schedule — often one consolidated standing instruction. Missing DMP instalments can void the arrangement, so set the budget conservatively.
What it does to your credit record
Enrolment appears in CCRIS; while under the programme your ability to take new credit is constrained and largely at each lender's discretion. The upside: accounts get regularised instead of marching to default, and on completion the discipline reads far better than a string of restructurings and defaults. People who finish DMP routinely rebuild to normal borrowing within a few years.
What changes the moment you enrol
Under the Debt Management Programme your unsecured debts are consolidated into one restructured schedule, typically 1 to 5 years longer than current positions, with interest reduced or frozen by participating banks. Enrolment is marked in CCRIS as a restructured arrangement: it is not bankruptcy and not a formal black mark, but new credit applications generally wait until the programme shows consistent repayment, commonly about 12 months of clean history.
Documents to bring, and the mistakes that waste a trip
Bring: NRIC, the last three months of payslips or EPF statements if self-employed, and the last three statements for every debt including cards, personal, hire-purchase and PTPTN. The wasted-trip classics: statements older than three months, a forgotten hire-purchase from years ago, or figures quoted from memory. The counsellor builds the plan from document numbers; a RM200 discrepancy restarts the session. Registration is free; anyone charging a fee to register you is selling convenience, not access.
AKPK alongside the alternatives
The honest comparison: a balance transfer works if the debt is small and repayment discipline is proven; a consolidation loan works if you qualify at a rate genuinely below your current blended cost; AKPK restructure works when you no longer qualify for new credit at acceptable rates. AKPK does not take over the accounts and does not touch secured loans in normal cases; the house and car keep their original schedules unless separately renegotiated with the bank.
Try it with your own numbers
Open the DSR calculatorThis guide is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Bank policies and rules change; confirm with your bank or the relevant agency.
Sources
Last reviewed: 22 October 2026. General information, not financial, tax or legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Is AKPK free?
Yes. Counselling and the Debt Management Programme are free; AKPK is a Bank Negara Malaysia agency. Watch for third parties charging registration or approval fees.
Will AKPK clear my debt?
No. It restructures unsecured debts into one affordable schedule with reduced or frozen interest. You still repay the principal; the programme exists to make repayment sustainable and avoid bankruptcy.
Can I apply for a loan while under AKPK?
Generally wait. New credit is difficult until the programme shows a repayment history, commonly about 12 months, and banks treat restructuring as elevated risk. Secured-loan changes are considered separately.