MATRADE Introduces WiEX Platform To Boost Women’s Participation In MIHAS 2026

By Zufazlin Baharuddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Eighty women entrepreneurs, including 20 from overseas, will set up booths at the Malaysia International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) 2026 as part of the Women in Export (WiEX) initiative.

The WiEX programme is being introduced as a key strategic component of the showcase.

Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) chairman Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican said WiEX would serve as a dedicated exhibition platform, providing business networking sessions and access to financing to help women entrepreneurs build resilience and penetrate international markets.

“WiEX aims to diversify sources of wealth and create more opportunities for them as they venture into the big ocean of export.

“Priority is given to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are the backbone and cornerstone of the country’s development, as their participation in exports remains small,” he told Bernama.

In 2025, WiEX was implemented as a pilot initiative, with MATRADE data showing a significant increase in the participation of local women entrepreneurs in leading export-oriented businesses, particularly in the cosmetics, innovative food and modest fashion sectors.

Reezal Merican said MIHAS 2026 had achieved its target of 2,400 exhibition spaces and 1,700 booths, with Malaysian exhibitors accounting for about 70 per cent and international exhibitors 30 per cent.

Attracting buyers from 58 countries, MIHAS 2026 is offering exhibitors greater opportunities to establish business connections and explore international markets.

Reezal Merican said that for the International Sourcing Programme (INSP), MIHAS 2026 would no longer rely on manual matching, but instead leverage artificial intelligence (AI) technology through the MADANI Digital Trade Platform (MDTP).

He said the AI algorithm on MDTP would conduct an in-depth analysis of local SMEs’ production capacity, compliance standards and business profiles, and match them precisely with profiles and specific criteria of global buyers in real time.

This would ensure that every business-to-business (B2B) meeting is targeted, minimise the risk of trial and error, and maximise the success rate of trade sales.

The 22nd edition of MIHAS 2026, themed “Mapping Trust, Driving Resilience”, will feature 14 strategic industry clusters under one roof, including food and beverage (F&B), cosmetics and personal care, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, Muslim-friendly tourism, Islamic finance, halal medical devices, and halal ingredient innovation.

The showcase will take place from Sept 23 to 26 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) in Kuala Lumpur.

-- BERNAMA