Malaysia’s External Trade Development Corporation, MATRADE, reported RM6.78 billion in sales at the 2026 Malaysia International Halal Showcase, or MIHAS, after the four-day event ended on 26 September. Bernama carried the final results on 29 September. MATRADE compared the headline amount with RM6.05 billion in 2025, describing an increase of RM730 million, or 12 per cent, and said the result exceeded the RM5 billion target set for the 2026 showcase. These are organiser-reported sales associated with the event, not a national export total or verified deliveries completed by every participating business.

The results included RM4.02 billion generated through the International Sourcing Programme (INSP), up from RM3.63 billion in 2025, which MATRADE described as a 10.9 per cent increase. The exhibition itself recorded approximately RM1.99 billion, compared with RM1.89 billion a year earlier. Malaysian small and medium enterprises reported RM620 million, versus RM557 million in 2025. These categories describe different parts or participant groups within the event’s sales reporting. They should not be summed with the RM6.78 billion headline as though each were an independent additional total; the release does not provide a reconciliation table showing category overlap or transaction accounting.

Attendance reached 69,104 visitors from 93 countries, compared with 50,340 visitors in 2025, a reported rise of 37.3 per cent. Exhibitors and INSP buyers came from 58 countries. Attendance counts are measures of event footfall, not unique prospective buyers, contracts or completed export transactions. MATRADE said the exhibition’s leading product areas included processed food and confectionery, food technology and packaging, frozen food, and fertilisers and agrochemicals. The release did not break down the RM6.78 billion by product, destination market, domestic versus export sale, or the share eventually converted into shipments.

The International Sourcing Programme is designed to match Malaysian exporters with overseas buyers through pre-arranged one-to-one business meetings. MATRADE’s event materials describe this as a trade-promotion channel, while its post-event report says more than 22,000 AI-assisted business appointments were generated. Of these appointments, 324 completed matches were associated with RM28 million in reported sales. The count of appointments, the subset of completed matches and their associated sales are distinct measures. The announcement does not establish that the technology alone caused the deals, nor does it report a comparison group or a longer-term conversion rate. MATRADE said the AI platform would continue operating until 2027.

MIHAS has been held since 2004 and its 2026 edition was described as the 22nd. MATRADE positions the showcase as one part of a broader export-support system that includes the INSP, knowledge activities and sector clusters. The agency’s materials identify 14 strategic clusters across the halal value chain, including food and beverage, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and healthcare, modest fashion, Islamic finance and halal services. This context helps explain why the sales tally includes multiple business channels and sectors. It does not independently validate reported order values or show that all event activity will become recurring trade.

For interpreting the result, the strongest comparable information in the release is the organiser’s year-on-year comparison: RM6.78 billion in 2026 against RM6.05 billion in 2025, using the same event-level headline measure as presented by MATRADE. The 12 per cent change is therefore a reported nominal sales comparison; the release supplies no inflation adjustment, margin data, cancellation rate or audited transaction ledger. The figures indicate commercial activity attributed to the showcase and wider buyer-seller engagement. To evaluate lasting export impact, readers would need follow-up data on orders fulfilled, export destinations, repeat purchases, SME participation and the period over which associated sales were booked.