Discussion on Islamic Investment and Financing to the HIPMI-Iran Meeting Colored the 3rd Day of D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia

Dok. Halal Expo. (Source: halalexpoindonesia.com)

JAKARTA - The excitement of the D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia 2026 series continued on the third day, with four discussion sessions until the meeting of Indonesian business organizations with Iran became some of the agendas that attracted attention.

The third day of the D-8 HEI 2026 was enlivened by four HEI Talks sessions which focused heavily on sharia funding and investment.

The first session, which raised the theme "Unlocking Blended Financing in D-8 through Cash Waqf Linked Sukuk (CWLS) and Cash Waqf Linked Deposit (CWLD)", featured speakers, Executive Director of the BI Islamic Economics and Finance Department, Dr. Dadang Muljawan, along with the Director of Social Finance at KNEKS, Dr. Dwi Irianti Hadiningdyah.

In this session, the speakers and the audience enthusiastically discussed various sharia funding facilities such as Islamic blended financing and sukuk, as well as how sharia funding can be promoted to potential foreign investors.

The second session was themed "Driving the Future of Global Halal Trade & Economy Intra D-8: Lessons Learned from Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Egypt" and featured three speakers, Chairman, Indonesia-Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI) Mohammed Riyadh Ali; Acting Head of the Malaysian Embassy Farzamie Sarkawi; and Minister from the Egyptian Embassy, Alzahraa Ahmed.

Indonesia through the Indonesian Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) with Malaysia (Islamic Development Department/JAKIM).

This session explores the potential for further cooperation with Egypt and Bangladesh on halal certification that can be optimized.

Meanwhile, the third session took the theme "Developing Muslim-Friendly Tourism for Sustainable Economic Growth in D-8" with speakers, Head of Research and Capacity Development of CrescentRating Tawfiq Salam Ikhtianto; Adyatma Tourism and Creative Economy Expert Principal of the Ministry of Tourism Nia Niscaya; and Business Acquisition Director of Artotel Group Dennis Depriadie.

This session discusses the optimization of cooperation through D-8 in developing the halal tourism industry as one of the drivers of sustainable economic growth, by looking at industry trends, current data, as well as government and business perspectives.

Then, the fourth session raised the theme "Reviving Investment & Business Ethic to redefine future Halal Intelligence" by presenting Tyo Guritno from Inspigo as well as Abdelbasset Ouissa and Ramzi Qane from the Muslim Capital Club.

The discussion focuses on strengthening and implementing business ethics and sharia investment to ensure the responsible use of artificial intelligence in supporting the realization of a halal ecosystem that is transparent, trustworthy, and innovative.

Meanwhile, the Ambassador Designate of Bangladesh to Indonesia, Hasan Mridha, appreciated the D-8 HEI event when visiting the expo area on the third day.

He expressed his appreciation for the implementation of the D-8 HEI and the interest in encouraging trade cooperation between Indonesia and Bangladesh in several commodity sectors such as copra.

Ambassador Mridha also witnessed a business matching session held by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin Indonesia) with the Indonesia-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI).

D-8 HEI also successfully facilitated a courtesy meeting between the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (HIPMI) and the D-8 HEI delegation from Iran.

This meeting discussed the potential to connect livestock entrepreneurs and frozen food suppliers from Indonesia with Iranian livestock flavoring and biotechnology entrepreneurs who are mutually beneficial.

Indonesia will gain market access to the Middle East and Central Asia for improving the quality of livestock. Meanwhile, Iran can sell flavor products and livestock embryos to Indonesia.

It is known that D-8 HEI is part of the Indonesian Chairmanship of the D-8 period 2026-2027 and was held on July 8-12 at the Senayan Tennis Indoor Stadium, Jakarta.

Carrying the theme "Strengthening D-8 Halal Economy Through International Collaboration", this event is designed as a main platform for business actors, industry players, investors, and policymakers to strengthen the halal supply chain in the D-8 environment while opening wider access to the global market.

D-8 HEI will support Indonesia to become one of the halal economic hubs. Through D-8 HEI, business-to-business (B2B) cooperation between D-8 and beyond countries in various halal flagship sectors is expected to be closer.

This synergy is also a strategic step to support the target of achieving intra-D-8 trade volume of 500 billion US dollars by 2030.

In addition to presenting medium and large-scale corporations, D-8 HEI also carries UMKM actors from the culinary, fashion, handicraft, halal tourism, digital, and other sectors.