Determinants of AML/CFT Compliance Intention Among Malaysian Accounting Practitioners: An Approach Using The Theory of Planned Behaviour

Authors

  • Zafiruddin Baharum Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Zuraeda Ibrahim Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • Rani Diana Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Melaka

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24191/eaj.v14i2.9464

Keywords:

Money Laundering, AML/CFT Compliance, Accounting Practitioner, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Trust in Authority

Abstract

The objective of this study is to develop a model for understanding AML/CFT compliance behaviour among Malaysian accounting practitioners by examining the influence of attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural controls and trust in authority on their intention to comply with AML/CFT reporting requirements. A total of 240 self-administered questionnaires were collected from accounting practitioners in Malaysia. The data were analysed using variance-based structural modelling (PLS-SEM) to examine the hypothesised relationships. The results revealed positive and significant relationships between attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural controls, and trust in the authority and accounting practitioners’ intention to comply with AML/CFT reporting requirements. However, the study found no evidence of trust in authority moderating any of these relationships. This study extends existing knowledge of AML/CFT compliance from behavioural perspectives by using the extended theory of planned behaviour. In addition, it considers the moderating role of trust in authority within the AML/CFT compliance setting.  The current findings could benefit the relevant authorities in understanding AML/CFT compliance and assist them in formulating and implementing strategies to promote compliance, especially in Malaysia. Although compliance is influenced by multiple factors, this study is limited to examining the elements derived from the Theory of Planned Behaviour as well as the concept of trust in authority.

Author Biographies

Zafiruddin Baharum, Universiti Teknologi MARA

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Puncak Alam, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Zuraeda Ibrahim, Universiti Teknologi MARA

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Selangor, Kampus Puncak Alam, 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

Rani Diana, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Melaka

Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Melaka Kampus Alor Gajah, 78000 Alor Gajah, Melaka, Malaysia

References

Abashah, A., Samah, I. H. A., Saraih, U. N., Rashid, I. M. A., Ramlan, S. N., & Radzi, W. N. S. W. M. (2018). The impact of attitude and subjective norms towards zakat compliance behavior in Malaysia. International Journal of Engineering and Technology(UAE), 7(3), 171–174. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijet.v7i3.21.17155

Agusti, R. R., & Rahman, A. F. (2023). Determinants of tax attitude in small and medium enterprises: Evidence from Indonesia. Cogent Business and Management, 10(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2022.2160585

Ahmad, N., & Ismail, A. A. (2022). Moderation of trust in government in modelling tax compliance behaviour based on tax features. EPRA International Journal of Economic and Business Review, 10(8), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.36713/epra11109

Ahmad Tarmizi, M., Zolkaflil, S., Omar, N., Hasnan, S., & Syed Mustapha Nazri, S. N. F. (2023). Compliance determinants of anti-money laundering regime among professional accountants in Malaysia. Journal of Money Laundering Control, 26(2), 361–387. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-01-2022-0003

AIA. (2023, April 25). Professional money launderers and how they impact the accountancy sector. The Association of International Accountants. https://www.aiaworldwide.com/insights/articles/professional-money-launderers-and-how-they-impact-the-accountancy-sector/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

Alleyne, P., & Harris, T. (2017). Antecedents of taxpayers’ intentions to engage in tax evasion: Evidence from Barbados. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 15(1), 2–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-12-2015-0107

Andam, A. C., & Osman, A. Z. (2019). Determinants of intention to give zakat on employment income: Experience from Marawi City, Philippines. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 10(4), 528–545. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-08-2016-0097

Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423. https://doi.org/10.1037//0033-2909.103.3.411

Arkorful, V. E. (2022). Unravelling electricity theft whistleblowing antecedents using the theory of planned behavior and norm activation model. Energy Policy, 160, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2021.112680

Awadh Bin-Nashwan, S., Abdul-Jabbar, H., & Romle, A. R. (2017). Perception of business owner toward business zakah compliance intention. World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization, 7(2), 17–22.

Ayoola, T. J., Olaniyi, O. O., Kolawole, P. E., Aregbesola, O. D., & Wright, O. (2023). Tax administration, trust in tax authorities, and personal income tax compliance: Evidence from Nigeria. Public and Municipal Finance, 12(1), 12–21. https://doi.org/10.21511/pmf.12(1).2023.02

Bani-Khalid, T., Alshira’h, A. F., & Alshirah, M. H. (2022). Determinants of tax compliance intention among Jordanian SMEs: A focus on the Theory of Planned Behavior. Economies, 10(2), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies10020030

Bank Negara Malaysia. (2024). Anti-Money Laundering, Countering Financing of Terrorism, Countering Proliferation Financing and Targeted Financial Sanctions for Financial Institutions (AML/CFT/CPF and TFS for FIs).

Bidin, Z., Othman, M. Z., & Noor Azman, F. M. (2013). Zakat compliance intention behaviour on saving among Universiti Utara Malaysia’s staff. Proceeding of the International Conference on Social Science Research, Penang Malaysia, June 2013, 145–155.

Bin-Nashwan, S. A., Abdul-Jabbar, H., Aziz, S. A., & Sarea, A. (2020). Zakah compliance in Muslim countries: An economic and socio-psychological perspective. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 19(3), 392–411. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRA-03-2020-0057

Brown, J. O., Hays, J., & Stuebs, M. T. (2016). Modeling accountant whistleblowing intentions: Applying the theory of planned behavior and the fraud triangle. Accounting and the Public Interest, 16(1), 28–56. https://doi.org/10.2308/apin-51675

Burt, J. L. (2015). Ethics, Virtue and Decision-making: An Investigation of the Ethical Decision-making Process of Accountants in Business (PhD thesis). Glasgow Caledonian University, August.

Crook, D. (2000). How to encourage whistleblowing. Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, 8(4), 326–332. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb025053

FAI Comply. (2024, September 24). FATF review: Gatekeepers and the battle against corruption. FAI Comply. https://www.faicomply.com/post/fatf-review-gatekeepers-and-the-battle-against-corruption?

Faizal, S. M., Palil, M. R., Maelah, R., & Ramli, R. (2017). Perception on justice, trust and tax compliance behavior in Malaysia. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 38(3), 226–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.kjss.2016.10.003

Febriandika, N. R., Kusuma, D. G., & Yayuli. (2023). Zakat compliance behavior in formal zakat institutions: An integration model of religiosity, trust, credibility, and accountability. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 10(6), 187–194. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2023.06.022

Finlay, K. A., Trafimow, D., & Villarreal, A. (2002). Predicting exercise and health behavioral intentions: Attitudes, subjective norms, and other behavioral determinants. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(2), 342–356. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2002.tb00219.x

Flanagan, J., & Clarke, K. (2007). Beyond a code of professional ethics: A holistic model of ethical decision-making for accountants. Abacus, 43(4), 488–518. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6281.2007.00242.x

Franke, G., & Sarstedt, M. (2019). Heuristics versus statistics in discriminant validity testing: A comparison of four procedures. Internet Research, 29(3), 430–447. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-12-2017-0515

Garg, S., Narwal, K. P., & Kumar, S. (2024). Application of theory of planned behavior on determinants of GST compliance behavior of GST taxpayers: An empirical study from India. Journal of Tax Reform, 10(1), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.15826/jtr.2024.10.1.161

Hahn, E. D., & Ang, S. H. (2017). From the editors: New directions in the reporting of statistical results in the Journal of World Business. Journal of World Business, 52(2), 125–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2016.12.003

Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203

Hassan, S. G., Ul Hameed, W., Basheer, M. F., & Ali, J. (2019). Zakat compliance intention among self-employed people: Evidence from Punjab, Pakistan. AL-ADWAH’, 34(2), 80–96.

Heikal, M., Khadaffi, M., & Falahuddin. (2014). The intention to pay zakat commercial: An application of revised Theory of Planned Behavior. Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies, 6(9), 727–734. https://doi.org/10.22610/jebs.v6i9.532

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8

Huda, N., Rini, N., Mardoni, Y., & Putra, P. (2012). The analysis of attitudes, subjective norms and behavioral control on muzakki’s intention to pay zakah. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 3(22), 271–279.

Institute of Financial Accountants. (2024, November 22). IFA money laundering report: Green shoots for compliance but challenges remain. https://financialaccountant.co.uk/features/money-laundering-ifa/

Kirchler, E., Hoelzl, E., & Wahl, I. (2008). Enforced versus voluntary tax compliance: The “slippery slope” framework. Journal of Economic Psychology, 29(2), 210–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JOEP.2007.05.004

Kitt, S., Axsen, J., Long, Z., & Rhodes, E. (2021). The role of trust in citizen acceptance of climate policy: Comparing perceptions of government competence, integrity and value similarity. Ecological Economics, 183(106958), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.106958

Lin, T. C., Huang, S. L., & Hsu, C. J. (2015). A dual-factor model of loyalty to IT product - The case of smartphones. International Journal of Information Management, 35(2), 215–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.01.001

Lindell, M. K., & Whitney, D. J. (2001). Accounting for common method variance in cross-sectional research designs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1). https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.114

Macfarlane, M. (2024, March 4). Accounting firms falling short with AML compliance. AccountingWEB. https://www.accountingweb.co.uk/practice/practice-strategy/accounting-firms-falling-short-with-aml-compliance

Mohd Faizal, S., & Palil, M. R. (2015). Study on fairness and individual tax compliance in Malaysia: Preliminary findings. International Journal of Business, Economics and Law, 8(1).

Mohd Khalil, N., Amin, H., & Azman, N. S. (2020). Compliance intention to pay zakat on salary. International Journal of Zakat, 5(2), 37–50. https://doi.org/10.37706/ijaz.v5i2.204

Molyneux, E. (2021, March 6). What accountants need to know about AML. Accountancy Age. https://www.accountancyage.com/2021/03/06/what-accountants-need-to-know-about-aml/

Muhammad, S. A., & Saad, R. A. J. (2016). Determinants of trust on zakat institutions and its dimensions on intention to pay zakat : A pilot study. Journal of Advanced Research in Business and Management Studies, 3(1), 40–46.

National Crime Agency. (2025). National Strategic Assessment 2025. https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/threats-2025/nsa-illicit-finance-2025

Nazatul Izma. (2018, October 24). Accountants: First Line of Defence in Curbing Money Laundering. Accountants Today. https://www.at-mia.my/2018/10/24/are-you-an-amla-risk/

Othman, Y. H.-, Alwi, I., Yusuff, M. S. S., & Saufi, M. S. A. M. (2017). The influence of attitude, subjective norm, and Islamic religiosity on compliance behavior of income zakat among educators. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(11), 1110–1116. https://doi.org/10.6007/ijarbss/v7-i11/3549

Owusu, G. M. Y., Bekoe, R. A., & Mintah, R. (2021). Predictors of tax compliance intentions among self-employed individuals: The role of trust, perceived tax complexity and antecedent-based intervention strategies. Small Enterprise Research, 30(1), 49–70. https://doi.org/10.1080/13215906.2021.1989622

Park, H., & Blenkinsopp, J. (2009). Whistleblowing as planned behavior - A survey of South Korean police officers. Journal of Business Ethics, 85(4), 545–556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9788-y

Ramayah, T., Cheah, J., Chuah, F., Ting, H., & Memon, M. A. (2018). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 3.0: An Updated and Practical Guide to Statistical Analysis (2nd ed.). Pearson.

Rousseau D.M., Sitkin S.B., Burt R.S., & Camerer C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 393–404.

Saad, R. A. J., Farouk, A. U., & Abdul Kadir, D. (2020). Business zakat compliance behavioral intention in a developing country. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research, 11(2), 511–530. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIABR-03-2018-0036

Sadallah, M., Abdul-Jabbar, H., & Aziz, S. A. (2022). Promoting zakat compliance among business owners in Algeria: The mediation effect of compliance intention. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 14(6), 1603–1620. https://doi.org/10.1108/JIMA-11-2021-0366

Sawmar, A. A., & Mohammed, M. O. (2021). Enhancing zakat compliance through good governance: A conceptual framework. ISRA International Journal of Islamic Finance, 13(1), 136–154. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIF-10-2018-0116

Sekaran, U. & Bougie, R. (2016). Research Methods for Business, (8th ed.) Wiley

Taing, H. B., & Chang, Y. (2021). Determinants of tax compliance intention: Focus on the Theory of Planned Behavior. International Journal of Public Administration, 44(1), 62–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2020.1728313

Tajuddin, T. S. (2023). Trust in zakat authorities and zakat compliance: A conceptual analysis. International Journal of Mosque, Zakat And Waqaf Management (Al-Mimbar), 3(2), 115–128. https://doi.org/10.53840/almimbar.v3i2.82

Tuhumena, R., Falah, S., & Salle, H. T. (2023). The effect of trust in government and perceptions of tax justice on tax compliance with job type as moderation. Journal of International Conference Proceedings, 6(5), 115–125. https://doi.org/10.32535/jicp.v6i5.2661

UNODC. (2025). Overview: Money Laundering. United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/money-laundering/overview.html

Vinten, G. (1994). Whistleblowing: Subversion or Corporate Citizenship. Paul Chapman.

World Economic Forum. (2021, June 14). How trade-based money laundering impacts world finances. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/06/trade-based-money-laundering/

Ya’u, A., Miraz, M. H., Saad, N., Bala, H., Rangasamy, D., Olaniyi, O. N. I., & Mustapha, U. A. (2023). Effects of economic deterrence theory and environmental regulation on tax evasion: Evidence from energy sector. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, 13(5), 289–302. https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.14736

Yusfiarto, R., Setiawan, A., & Setia Nugraha, S. (2020). Literacy and intention to pay zakat: A theory of planned behaviour view evidence from Indonesian muzakki. International Journal of Zakat, 5(1), 15–27.

Downloads

Published

25-12-2025

Issue

Section

Articles