Malaysia Calls for Shift from Halal-Certified to Halal-Competitive as ASEAN Targets USD5 Trillion Global Halal Economy

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Sept. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Malaysia has urged a significant transition from merely maintaining halal-certification to achieving halal-competitiveness, alongside ASEAN's vision of tapping into a potential USD5 trillion global halal economy. Speaking at the World Halal Business Conference (WHBC 2026), Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Dr. Zulkifli Hasan, underscored the nation's need to translate its leadership in the Islamic economy into enhanced trade, investment, innovation, and international business prospects.

Malaysia maintains its top spot in the Global Islamic Economy Indicator (GIEI) for the 12th consecutive year, with halal exports reaching RM68.52 billion in 2025, reflecting a 10.9 percent increase year-on-year. The Minister stressed the imperative of elevating Malaysia from being halal-certified to being halal-competitive, moving from being market-ready to export-ready, and transitioning from local players to global champions.

This necessitates a stronger focus on commercialization, securing international market access, and engaging in global value chains.

Furthermore, the Minister advocated for ASEAN to ascend from simply being a halal consumer hub to becoming a comprehensive production, investment, innovation, supply-chain, and global trade center. To facilitate this, Malaysia is set to champion the proposal for an ASEAN Halal Council, aiming to bolster regional cooperation and connectivity across the halal sector.

The 18th version of WHBC, orchestrated by the Halal Development Corporation Berhad (HDC) as part of the Global Halal Summit (GHaS) 2026, catalyzed industry collaboration through two Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreements. HDC entered into a strategic pact with King’s Park Development Sdn Bhd, focusing on advisory, technical guidance, and capacity-building efforts to fortify the halal ecosystem.

Additionally, Tradewinds (M) Berhad and Saudi Arabia’s Tanmiah Food Company inked a MOU to explore halal protein initiatives encompassing production, sourcing, imports, further processing, and distribution within Malaysia and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

The WHBC 2026 convened pivotal dialogues on halal diplomacy, the global Islamic economy, halal export commercialization, and Islamic finance, emphasizing the critical need to transform Malaysia's halal assets into substantial international trade and investment opportunities. The Minister affirmed that the true measure of the halal economy's success should transcend the count of halal-certified products, encompassing the proliferation of companies achieving global growth, the influx of investments, the generation of value, the creation of quality jobs, and deeper integration into ASEAN and global value chains.