Inaugurating The Financial Islamic Center Area, Jokowi: Strengthening Sharia Economics

President Joko Widodo (Photo: Screenshot)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has just inaugurated the Indonesia Financial Islamic Center.

He said this area would encourage the development of the sharia economy in the country.

In addition, said Jokowi, this Indonesia Financial Islamic Center area will also support the halal industry, Muslim fashion, halal tourism, and the halal food and beverage industry.

"This will be supported by everyone. So that the existing potential cannot be separated from running to other areas or to other countries. By saying bismillairrahmanirrahim this morning I inaugurate the Indonesia Islamic Center area in Jakarta," he said, quoted from the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Tuesday, September 17.

The former governor of DKI Jakarta assessed that the Indonesia Islamic Center area will also open up great opportunities considering that Indonesia has a Muslim population of 236 million.

Furthermore, Jokowi emphasized that Indonesia as a big market needs to take advantage of this potential so that other countries do not take advantage of it.

Indonesia has the opportunity, has the potential to become the center of the world's halal industry, the center of the world's halal ecosystem, with a note that we must strengthen the sharia economic ecosystem. Second, prepare professional actors in the halal industry that we have," he explained.

Jokowi also highlighted the huge potential of the sharia industry, especially in the financial sector. He said the Islamic finance industry continues to experience higher bahlan growth than conventional banks.

"If we look at the figures of the Islamic financial industry, they grow higher than national banks. Let's see, assets, Islamic bank assets grew 9.07 percent, national bank assets grew 8.9 percent, higher growth in Islamic bank assets. Then third party funds, we see the figure, Islamic banks grew 10.41 percent, national banks grew 8.43 percent," he said.

Therefore, Jokowi said that Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) is an important part of the sharia ecosystem. Meanwhile, BSI became the largest Islamic bank after the merger.

"The Indonesian Sharia Bank as an important part of the sharia economous ecosystem must grow forward, must have modern management, must be competitive, professional to reach the potential markets that we have, 236 million people of our Muslims. And also grow into a barometer of Islamic banking in Indonesia, in the ASEAN region and also in the world," he said.