KUALA LUMPUR: Alliance Islamic Bank Bhd (Alliance Islamic), a subsidiary of Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd, today launched its Halal in One Programme, a halal enterprise ecosystem that aims to help small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) capitalise on opportunities in the segment.
The programme offers business owners venturing into the halal space end-to-end solutions including business advisory, business matching services, and shariah-compliant financing.
Alliance Islamic signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with its strategic partner HQC Commerce Sdn Bhd (HCSB) in conjunction with the launch of Halal in One Programme.
"Malaysia is one of the leading players in the halal industry due to a robust halal economic ecosystem, and a continuous focus in developing global Islamic finance.
SMEs in Malaysia have the advantage to tap into the global halal segment, which is expected to grow to US$3.0 trillion in 2023. Yet, as recently as 2018, 90 per cent of Malaysian SMEs are not halal-certified,” Alliance Islamic chief executive officer Rizal IL-Ehzan Fadil Azim said in a statement today.
He said Alliance Islamic's Halal in One Programme offers business advisory by halal consultants to help SMEs obtain halal certification from the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM).
"The SMEs can also attend complimentary Halal awareness training programmes that we offer. We will complement the advisory service with halal banking solutions including special financing, payroll solutions, enterprise Takaful, and business matching opportunities for halal-centric businesses," he said.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by Malaysia Halal
Council Secretariat and JAKIM director Dato’ Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee who also officiated the launch.
With Halal in One, the bank plans on building an ecosystem comprising strategic partners with various halal-centric expertise to help business owners expand their business in this sector with ease.
"The global appetite for halal products is growing rapidly. Malaysia’s Halal certification, which is
governed by JAKIM, is well recognised and respected worldwide.
"This puts businesses in Malaysia at an advantage. Through this partnership with Alliance Islamic, we hope to reach out to more business owners and SMEs to grow economically by tapping into the Halal market," HCSB chief executive officer Dato’ Khairul Shahril Hamzah said.
"Our Halal in One Programme is an inclusive ecosystem that integrates all the elements a business needs to grow in the Halal segment: business advisory and matching, halal certification, and funding.
"We believe that our efforts will go a long way in supporting the government’s efforts to establish Malaysia to be a leading provider of halal support services, and centre of excellence in Islamic finance," Rizal further added.