A Decade Of Collaboration, Indonesia Becomes A New Current Of The World Sharia Economy

BI Governor Perry Warjiyo (Photo: screenshot by Aris Nurjani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Bank Indonesia (BI) Governor Perry Warjiyo said that Indonesia has occupied a strategic position as one of the main players in the global Islamic economy and finance.

According to him, this achievement is the result of more than a decade of collective work between Bank Indonesia, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), and various other stakeholders in encouraging the growth of the national halal industry.

In the 2025 National Sharia Economic Facilities event, Perry invited the participants to recall the important milestone in May 2015, when the first sarasehan was held in the same location, where at that time the big vision of making Indonesia a new stream of sharia economy began to be launched.

10 years ago, Mr. Kiai Haji Ma'ruf Amin ordered us, to have a vision, let's make Indonesia, his term is a new current. Every word he said was, not a axis, a new current of the Indonesian economy. Not a axis, a current. Because the current continues, if the axis is muter-muter. The current continues to win," he said, Wednesday, August 13.

Since then, according to him, Indonesia has made rapid progress, including becoming a world leader in the field of Muslim fashion and ranking the top three for the Islamic finance industry.

He added that this achievement shows the strength of creative products based on local culture and Islamic values, which are able to compete in the international market.

In addition, he said that the Islamic finance sector also experienced significant developments, including the presence of Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) as one of the largest Islamic banks in the region.

Even so, Perry emphasized the importance of accelerating the halal food sector, because currently, Indonesia has been included in the list of the top five in the halal food industry, so it still has a great opportunity to increase its production capacity and exports through cross-sectoral collaboration.

According to him, the main key to this development lies in collaboration and economic empowerment from the grassroots level, especially through Islamic boarding schools.

Therefore, he said that since 2015, BI has encouraged Islamic boarding schools to become centers for the people's economic activities, such as empowerment programs including the printing sector, clean water, sustainable agriculture, and the food industry.

In addition, he added that digitalization was also introduced so that pesantren products could penetrate a wider market, including exports.

"Our Islamic boarding schools have become centers of sharia economic business," he said.

"How about Islamic boarding schools, thank God 46 Bank Indonesia offices throughout Indonesia, we have mobilized to enter Islamic boarding schools, making pesantren not only education centers, but Islamic economic centers, businesses," he added.

Perry said that in addition to building a halal ecosystem and expanding access to Islamic finance, public literacy is also the main focus.

He added that the Sharia Economic Festival which is regularly held in various regions is a means of education, promotion of halal products, and strengthening innovation of sharia business actors.

Perry stated that the achievement of the last decade is only the beginning of a long journey with a sustainable synergy, Indonesia will be stronger as the center of world sharia economy and finance.