Kuala Lumpur, December 29, 2025 —The Malaysian authority has issued a proposed decision against 31 childcare service enterprises over their alleged involvement in a horizontal agreement to fix prices for childcare services in the state of Kelantan.
The Malaysia Competition Commission said the enterprises are provisionally found to have breached Section 4(1), read together with Sections 4(2)(a) and 4(3), of the Competition Act 2010. The case concerns an alleged agreement to set minimum prices for childcare services, which the authority said had the object of restricting market rivalry within Kelantan.
Alleged Coordination
According to the authority, the suspected conduct originated from an association meeting held in September 2023, where participating childcare operators allegedly discussed and agreed on floor prices for their services. The agreed pricing was later communicated to attendees through a memorandum.
The authority said the arrangement was subsequently made public via the association’s official Facebook account, which announced that childcare centre operators had unanimously agreed to apply fixed minimum prices starting in 2024.
Procedural Status
The authority stressed that the proposed decision reflects provisional findings only and does not constitute a final determination of liability. At this stage, no final penalties have been imposed.
The enterprises named in the proposed decision have been formally notified of the alleged infringements, as well as the proposed penalties and directions. They have 30 days from receipt of the notice to submit written representations and will also be given the opportunity to present oral submissions at a hearing to be scheduled.
