Halal: behind food, a global economy of 3,500 billion dollars is taking shape

Halal no longer only concerns meat and ritual slaughter. In Kuala Lumpur, the MIHAS 2026 exhibition, organized from September 23 to 26, shows that the halal economy today affects many sectors: pharmacy, cosmetics, Islamic finance, fashion, tourism, technologies, logistics and services. The global halal market is now estimated at $3.5 trillion.

This year, nearly 2,400 stands are gathered around fourteen sectors of activity. Malaysia, which has hosted the show since 2004, wants to strengthen its place in the global halal economy, particularly in certification, standards, innovation and trade. But this dynamic does not only concern Malaysia. Bangladesh, for example, is present with six companies supported by its public export promotion agency. Agri-food, medicines, textiles, leather, tea and even jute-based products: Bangladeshi companies also want to benefit from the growth of the halal market.

Among them, the agri-food group PRAN presents several thousand halal references and wants to take advantage of MIHAS to develop its international sales. The objective is clear: for many Asian countries, halal has become a real export market.

Far beyond food

This is undoubtedly the most important development. In France, halal is still often associated with meat, slaughter or political controversies. In Asia, several countries are already working to build a true halal economy. This concerns certification, traceability, ingredients, medicines, cosmetics, tourism, Islamic finance, technologies and even logistics. Malaysia also wants to go further. She defends the creation of an ASEAN Halal Council and also discusses, with Saudi Arabia, the creation of a World Halal Development Council.

Behind these projects, a question is becoming more and more important: who will set halal standards in the world tomorrow? Because whoever controls standards, certification and traceability also occupies a central place in an economy that now weighs several trillion dollars. In Kuala Lumpur, halal is no longer presented as a niche market. It has become a truly global industry.