Under “be-Halal”, participants will be developed further through programmes run by experts in various fields to enable them to be more innovative and progressive as they face various global challenges and ultimately contribute to the nation’s halal industry. Islamic finance has become part of the mainstream with offerings of competitive financial solutions Malaysia has an Islamic financial system that operates alongside the conventional system. Our unique experience with a dual financial system has been effective on many fronts – effective in 1/3  BIS central bankers' speeches  bringing segments of the society to access the services of the formal financial system; effective in enabling and facilitating businesses, especially the small and medium-sized entrepreneurs, to expand their businesses; and effective in steering development of the country. We have a comprehensive Islamic financial system comprising the core components of banking, takaful and capital markets. The Islamic finance system have matured and are as competitive with the conventional system, thus providing better choices and options. A robust financial infrastructure is also in place to support development of this system, alongside a responsive regulatory and supervisory framework whilst achieving the high standards of best practice in corporate governance and in financial transparency and disclosure. The Islamic financial system consistently reinforces its position as a viable and effective means of intermediation that contributes to the overall economic development. Today, Islamic banking accounts for 33 percent of Malaysia’s total banking assets while takaful market share stands at 11 percent for family takaful and 10.1 percent for general takaful.

In adapting to changing economic environment, businesses must have in place adequate risk management and protection. This is key to ensure business sustainability. Takaful operators offer a wide range of commercial protection schemes to help businesses build its risk management. These include protection against risks associated with natural disaster, weatherrelated events, payment default, professional indemnity and damage in crops, among others. For example, trade credit takaful solution to be launched in 2020 complements the wide range of trade finance solutions for importers and exporters that transact on an open account basis. Islamic finance is a natural fit for halalan-toyyiban Let me now move on to the final component – the underlying strength which ties the halal opportunity with Islamic finance – synergy. At the national level, the government supports and recognises the role of Islamic finance as an important tool to develop and grow businesses and SMEs. In the 2019 Budget, the SME Shariah-Compliant Financing Scheme was established to strengthen the development of SMEs. Under the Scheme, the government has committed to subsidise 2 percent of profit rate or borrowing cost for total financing worth RM1.0 billion. A number of other strategies are also being pursued to better position Islamic finance solutions to meet the needs of halal businesses. The industry players have participated in mega events such as Halal Expo 2019, Halfest 2019, and Festival Islam dan Halal Antarabangsa Johor Darul Ta’zim 2/3  BIS central bankers' speeches  2019 to create awareness on its offerings.