How much Currency can i take to Malaysia ?

Ok i can clarify something.

A person can bring in whatever they want. How about $1 million? Yes, no problem.

Then what is the issue? Two things.
1) How much can a person leave their country with?
2) How much can you leave Malaysia with?

A) If your country doesnt allow you to take out more than $1,000, then thats all you can bring into Malaysia.
B) Your country, Malaysia, or any country has rules about limits of money coming or leaving before you must declare it. Im from US and the limit is $10,000. I CAN leave with more but I have to declare it before leaving and will likely be asked a number of unhappy questions about why im carrying $50,000 in cash, gold coins, diamonds, etc. If the answers are not good enough, I might be denied.
C) If you have a bank account in Malaysia, you could bring in $500 on the airplane and then wire transfer to your account larger amounts later or at any time. Otherwise, bring low cash and use your ATM card if its just a short trip.
D) Again, Malaysia doesnt restrict what you can bring in but heavily restricts you when you try to take the money back out later, or when you try to re-transfer out that money. If it is a large amount, you will likely have to appeal to Bank Negara for permission for the bank to release the money. They SAY you can take out RM40,000 without issue, but when you try to do it, you will be blocked until you appeal and present a case as to why you need to take the money out.

Previously, you had to write on the Arrival Card what you are carrying in, and it was compared to what you were leaving with later. If you brought in $500 and later you are leaving with $5,000, something is wrong and you could find yourself in huge trouble. This moment, today, they are not using Arrival/Departure Cards for your financial declaration so it would at least APPEAR there is no problem and I have not been searched or questioned at all about what Im bringing in or leaving with. Weird. (Vietnam is another one, too, they very, very closely examine every cent you come and go with and you can expect lots of questions at the border. Keep careful records and receipts for everything.) Meantime, though Malaysia expects declarations of large amounts of money, without the Arrival/Departure Cards I dont know the mechanism for making the declaration unless you stop at the Customs counter and tell them. If, however, you are stopped for searching bags, be sure to tell them during the search or risk huge problems.

As you can see, what you can bring in is tied to what you can leave your country with and what you can leave Malaysia with. Like all things in Asia, money flows one way---IN but not OUT. Give money to any person, shop or agency, they happily and cheerfully accept any amount, then watch what happens when you ask for your money back. Thats the rule to remember here. If, for example, you bring in $100,000 to buy a flat with, and you dont buy it and expect to leave with that $100,000.....hmm.....i smell a huge problem. In anything like this, you better have an extreme amount of proof and documentation about where that money came from and why its leaving. If you show up at an airport to leave with $100,000 in your pocket, expect trouble, blocks, missing your plane and making appeals to Bank Negara to prove the money was yours all along. But....listen carefully....if you try to leave with the money and never declared it on arrival, i think its reasonable to assume you will be detained.

So, how much can you bring? Barring other problems or restrictions, any reasonable amount for what you plan to do while here.