Jakarta (TDI): The first-ever D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia (HEI) 2026, a five-day gathering, opened on Wednesday and brought together ministers, senior officials, business leaders and halal industry stakeholders from across the Developing-8 bloc.
Organized under the theme of strengthening the D-8 halal economy through international collaboration, the event is a milestone for economic cooperation among member states.
The opening ceremony was led by Indonesia’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anis Matta, alongside representatives of the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance, the Halal Product Assurance Agency, the Hajj Fund Management Agency, and diplomats from across the D-8 region.
In a video address, D-8 Secretary-General Ambassador Sohail Mahmood praised Indonesia’s leadership in hosting the inaugural expo and welcomed proposals to make it an annual event, as well as a plan for Indonesia to host a new D-8 Halal Economy Cooperation Secretariat.
He described the moves as steps that could deepen policy coordination, private-sector engagement and intra-bloc trade.
Ambassador Mahmood pointed to the scale of the D-8 grouping as evidence of its potential to become a major hub for halal production and trade.
Even so, he noted that Muslim-majority countries currently capture only a modest share of the rapidly growing global halal economy, which spans food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, healthcare, tourism, logistics, Islamic finance and digital commerce.
Closing that gap, he said, will require stronger regional integration and greater investment in innovation and industrial competitiveness.
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Framing the halal sector as central to the D-8’s Decennial Roadmap 2020–2030 and its goal of reaching $500 billion in intra-bloc trade by 2030, the Secretary General outlined three proposals; an integrated D-8 Halal Trade Corridor built on harmonized certification standards and streamlined customs procedures, a digital halal marketplace and investment platform to link manufacturers, investors and buyers across borders, and expanded joint investment in research areas such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence and blockchain-based traceability.
Indonesian officials also used the platform to highlight the country’s ambitions to be recognized as a leading center of the global halal economy, stressing the importance of stronger standards, certification and trade facilitation.
Over its five-day run, the expo is hosting exhibitions, business-matching sessions, investment forums and panel discussions covering halal food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, modest fashion, Islamic finance, tourism and emerging technologies.
Organizers describe it as a foundational step toward building integrated halal value chains and strengthening South-South cooperation within the bloc.