D-8 Halal Expo Closes With $13.4 Million in Commitments

JAKARTA — The inaugural D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia closed on July 12, 2026, with more than US$13.4 million in transaction commitments, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in results announced on July 13 and reported by ANTARA News. IQNA and VOI put the figure at Rp242,279,370,000. The five-day event took place at the Indoor Tennis Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta, according to ANTARA News.

Eighty exhibitors from D-8 member countries, Palestine, and Sri Lanka took part, along with more than 5,000 domestic and international visitors, IQNA and VOI reported. The commitments covered trade in spices and raw materials for the halal industry. The event hosted 29 business-matching sessions linking exporters, manufacturers, and prospective buyers, and it also drew buyers from outside the bloc, including the United States, Russia, and Singapore, ANTARA News and VOI reported. It produced multiple memorandums of understanding and letters of intent between Indonesian business actors and D-8 partner companies, the Foreign Ministry said.

Inside the Five-Day Jakarta Show

The expo ran July 8-12 under the theme “Strengthening D-8 Halal Economy Through International Collaboration,” organized by Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs alongside the National Committee for Sharia Economy and Finance (KNEKS), the Halal Product Guarantee Organizing Agency (BPJPH), and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), with PT Angan Kreasi Semesta as event organizer, according to IQNA and ANTARA News. The Foreign Ministry said the event strengthened Indonesia’s position as a driver of the global halal economy, a priority the country has attached to its 2026-2027 D-8 chairmanship, per ANTARA News.

The closing reports reviewed by The Halal Times didn’t break the US$13.4 million down by buyer country or by product line beyond spices and halal industrial raw materials.

Indonesia’s D-8 Chairmanship and the $500 Billion Target

The D-8, formally the Developing 8, groups Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye; Azerbaijan joined as the ninth member on March 19, 2025, ANTARA News reported. The bloc’s combined GDP is about US$5.1 trillion and its population roughly 1.3 billion, or about 16 percent of the world total, according to ANTARA’s launch coverage of the expo. Indonesia holds the D-8 chairmanship for 2026-2027, after previously chairing the bloc from 2006 to 2008, per ANTARA News.

At the expo’s launch, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anis Matta said, “Amid global economic challenges, Indonesia continues to pursue national economic growth. One way to achieve this is by strengthening Indonesia’s economic integration with the Islamic world, including through the development of the halal economy,” according to ANTARA News. D-8 Secretary-General Sohail Mahmood welcomed the initiative and KNEKS Executive Director Sholahudin Al Aiyub addressed the event’s business-partnership objectives, ANTARA reported.

Where the Numbers Sit

The bloc has set a target of US$500 billion in intra-D-8 trade by 2030, VOI and ANTARA reported, against a global halal market that ANTARA’s launch report sized at US$3.56 trillion. ANTARA News also reported approximately US$36.4 million in shipments recorded under the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement since June 2024. The two totals aren’t measuring the same thing: the Jakarta figure records commitments and letters of intent signed at a five-day fair, while the PTA figure tracks shipments logged over a longer period.

The Halal Times covered the expo earlier this month, and has separately reported on Indonesia’s halal-sector diplomacy, including its digital halal trade talks with South Korea and its value-chain work across D-8 economies.

What Comes Next

Indonesia’s chairmanship of the D-8 runs through 2027, and the bloc’s US$500 billion trade target carries a 2030 deadline, according to ANTARA News and VOI. Whether the commitments signed in Jakarta convert into shipments isn’t yet clear, and it’s the figure to watch as Indonesia’s chairmanship continues.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much money did the D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia generate?
The inaugural D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia, held July 8-12, 2026, produced more than US$13.4 million in transaction commitments, Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in results announced on July 13, 2026 and reported by ANTARA News. IQNA and VOI put the figure at Rp242,279,370,000.

What is the D-8’s trade target for 2030?
The D-8 bloc has set a goal of US$500 billion in trade among its member states by 2030, according to ANTARA News’ coverage of the expo’s launch.

How much trade has moved under the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement?
ANTARA News reported approximately US$36.4 million in shipments recorded under the D-8 Preferential Trade Agreement since June 2024.

Which countries belong to the D-8 bloc?
The D-8 comprises Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Turkiye, joined by Azerbaijan as a ninth member on March 19, 2025, per ANTARA News.

Who organized the D-8 Halal Expo Indonesia?
Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs ran the event with KNEKS, BPJPH, and KADIN, with PT Angan Kreasi Semesta as event organizer, IQNA reported.