BSI: Many Halal Industries Still Use Conventional Banks

The connectivity between the halal industry and the Islamic financial sector in Indonesia is still considered suboptimal. Many halal industry players continue to use conventional banking services even though their products are halal-certified. This was conveyed by Yosita Nur Wirdayanti, VP Business & Strategy Department Head of Islamic Ecosystem at PT Bank Syariah Indonesia Tbk (BSI), during the Islamic Finance Dialogue (IFD), part of the Indonesia Sharia Forum (ISF) 2026 in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/7/2026). “The halal lifestyle is actually very close to us. However, there is still a gap between the halal industry and Islamic financial institutions. Many industries whose products are halal still use conventional bank accounts and services,” Yosita said. According to Yosita, this condition indicates that the development of the halal industry has not been fully accompanied by the utilisation of Islamic financial services. Therefore, collaboration between banks, regulators, and other stakeholders is needed to identify the obstacles faced by business actors. “We need to see what the obstacles are. Whether Islamic banking products are still lacking, or business actors are not yet aware of the available services. This needs to be coordinated together,” she said. Yosita said BSI continues to strengthen the halal ecosystem through MSME financing, the distribution of Kredit Usaha Rakyat (KUR), and business mentoring. The company also cooperates with the National Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KNEKS) and the Halal Product Assurance Organising Agency (BPJPH) to expand halal certification for business actors. In addition, BSI has four MSME centres in Aceh, Surabaya, Makassar, and Balikpapan. The company also runs the BSI Entrepreneurial Talent programme, which provides training and mentoring to help business actors advance. “We also have an incubator programme for business actors. So it is not just about providing training, but also mentoring so their businesses can grow,” Yosita said. In the same forum, Putu Rahwidhiyasa, Director of Sharia Business and Entrepreneurship and Acting Director of the Halal Products Industry at KNEKS, said the development of the Islamic economic ecosystem must be carried out in stages. According to him, strengthening the halal industry must start with products and services that meet halal standards, then be reinforced with Sharia-compliant financing and business practices. “First, the goods and services must be halal, second the financing, and after that the business conduct. When all of that is running, we will have a complete Islamic economic ecosystem,” Putu said. He added that synergy between the halal industry and Islamic financial institutions is key for Indonesia to strengthen its competitiveness as a global Islamic economic centre.