The Halal Times
The Halal Times is a Japan-incorporated digital media platform publishing news and analysis on the global halal economy, including food, Islamic finance, fashion, tourism, and cosmetics. It serves industry practitioners, policy-makers, investors, and brands via newsletter, advertising, and consulting services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNerima, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What The Halal Times does
The Halal Times is a digital media platform operated by Rhetica Co., Ltd., a privately held company incorporated in Japan (headquartered in Nerima) and founded in 2013. The platform publishes news, analysis, and editorial coverage of the global halal economy, spanning halal food, Islamic finance, modest fashion, halal tourism, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, certification frameworks, and OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) economies. Its stated audience includes ethical brands and founders, policy-makers and certification bodies, global investors and strategic partners, and halal industry practitioners — segments the company targets with credibility-focused, values-driven positioning rather than volume-driven reporting. Leadership consists of CEO and Editor-in-Chief Hafiz Maqsood Ahmed (30+ years of journalism experience) and Head of Operations Hafiz Aliyan Ahmed.
The core product is a free weekly email newsletter delivered to 11,000+ subscribers, complemented by a content-rich website (halaltimes.com) covering regional halal developments across 17+ markets in Southeast Asia, GCC, Europe, the Americas, Africa, South Asia, East Asia, and Latin America. The underlying technology stack is conventional for digital media: a website CMS, an email newsletter delivery system, Stripe for payment processing on subscriptions and digital product purchases, and Google Analytics for traffic measurement. No proprietary AI features, APIs, or developer platforms are disclosed; the platform has no mobile application.
The Halal Times operates four distinct revenue streams. (1) Premium newsletter and content subscriptions billed monthly or annually. (2) Advertising and sponsorship — banner ads, sponsored articles, branded content, social media campaigns, and interview features — sold under a minimum 6-month commitment. (3) Digital products (guides, reports, e-books) sold as one-time purchases. (4) Consulting services marketed under the Muslim Markets Growth Partner sub-brand — a structured 90-180 day growth engagement starting at $20K for brands with $100M+ revenue targeting Muslim markets, covering strategy, positioning, and execution across ASEAN, GCC, Europe, North America, Africa, and South Asia. The consulting arm claims to have generated $105M+ in client revenue across 60+ countries and 100+ multi-market expansions.
The Halal Times firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Halal Times
- Legal name
- Rhetica Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://halaltimes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Halal Times is a Japan-incorporated digital media platform publishing news and analysis on the global halal economy, including food, Islamic finance, fashion, tourism, and cosmetics. It serves industry practitioners, policy-makers, investors, and brands via newsletter, advertising, and consulting services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Halal Times is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nerima
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Halal Times business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Digital Media Subscriptions: Premium newsletter and content subscriptions delivered via email. Billed monthly or annually with recurring charges.
- Advertising and Sponsorship: Banner ad placements on website and social media channels, sponsored content, press release publication, branded content creation, interview generation in audio/video or written format, social media campaigns for advertisers. Minimum 6-month sponsorship commitment.
- Digital Products: Sale of guides, reports, and e-books covering halal industry topics. Delivered digitally with immediate access upon payment confirmation.
- Consulting Services: Muslim Markets Growth Partner consulting engagements starting at $20K for brands with $100M+ revenue targeting Muslim markets. Includes strategy phases, market playbooks, and execution support across priority markets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free weekly newsletter subscription |
| Subscription | Annual | Premium subscription (pricing not publicly disclosed) |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Muslim Markets Growth Partner consulting engagement |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Advertising/sponsorship packages (minimum 6 months) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Halal Times product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Halal Times is a digital-only media platform that publishes editorial coverage of the global halal economy across halal food, Islamic finance, modest fashion, halal tourism, cosmetics, healthcare, certification, and OIC economies. It monetizes this audience through free and premium newsletters, downloadable digital products (guides, reports, e-books), advertising and sponsorship placements, and a consulting service called Muslim Markets Growth Partner that helps brands enter or expand in Muslim consumer markets.
Product overview
The Halal Times is a digital-only media platform operated by Rhetica Co., Ltd. (based in Japan) that serves the global halal economy. The core offering is its news and content platform covering halal food, Islamic finance, modest fashion, Halal tourism, cosmetics, healthcare, and related sectors. The company offers a free weekly newsletter subscription, digital products (guides, reports, e-books), advertising and sponsorship placements, and a consulting service called Muslim Markets Growth Partner for organizations seeking to enter or expand in Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority consumer markets. The platform positions itself as serving ethical brands, policy-makers, certification bodies, and global investors with credibility-focused content rather than volume-driven reporting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Muslim Markets Growth Partner: A consulting arm providing strategic advisory and growth services to brands targeting Muslim markets globally.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trusted by 11,000+ newsletter subscribers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Halal Times
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Halal Times technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
The Halal Times partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Halal Times competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- IFN (Islamic Finance news) / REDmoney: IFN is a leading trade publication covering Islamic finance, sukuk, takaful, and Shari'ah-compliant markets. It overlaps with The Halal Times' Islamic finance coverage and shares the B2B media + events + research model.
- HalalFocus: HalalFocus is a digital halal media outlet covering halal food, lifestyle, and industry news. It overlaps with the consumer-facing editorial arm of The Halal Times.
- Salaam Gateway by DinarStandard: Salaam Gateway is the most direct competitor: a digital media and intelligence platform covering the global halal economy, Islamic finance, and Muslim consumer markets, with comparable B2B research, reports, and advisory offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Thomson Reuters Zawya: Zawya is a Thomson Reuters-owned Middle East business intelligence platform covering halal industry, Islamic finance, and regional markets. Comparable B2B intelligence positioning for investors and policy-makers.
- Reuters Events / Islamic Finance & Halal Industry Coverage: Reuters provides broad financial and industry news that sometimes touches halal and Islamic finance topics, including sukuk coverage. It is a much larger incumbent serving overlapping B2B audiences rather than specializing in halal.
- Bloomberg News: Bloomberg is a global financial media incumbent that covers Islamic finance, sukuk, and emerging-market halal industry stories. Comparable as a B2B information source for global investors, though not niche-focused.
Regional players
- Indonesia Halal Industry (IHIA) / BPJPH Coverage Ecosystem: Indonesia's halal authority BPJPH and adjacent policy media serve as the dominant local halal information source for the world's largest Muslim market. The Halal Times covers the same regulatory developments but from a global perspective.
Emerging players
- HalalTrip / Halal In Travel Global Index: HalalTrip focuses on halal tourism and travel intelligence, overlapping with The Halal Times' halal tourism coverage but with a narrower, vertical-specific focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Halal Times social profiles
Digital presenceThe Halal Times financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Halal Times leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Halal Times funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Halal Times M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Halal Times
What does The Halal Times do?
The Halal Times is a digital-only media platform that publishes editorial coverage of the global halal economy across halal food, Islamic finance, modest fashion, halal tourism, cosmetics, healthcare, certification, and OIC economies. It monetizes this audience through free and premium newsletters, downloadable digital products (guides, reports, e-books), advertising and sponsorship placements, and a consulting service called Muslim Markets Growth Partner that helps brands enter or expand in Muslim consumer markets.
Is The Halal Times a public or private company?
The Halal Times is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Halal Times founded?
The Halal Times was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Halal Times based?
The Halal Times is headquartered in Nerima, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does The Halal Times make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Digital Media Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are advertising and Sponsorship, digital Products and consulting Services.
Who are The Halal Times's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are IFN (Islamic Finance news) / REDmoney, HalalFocus and Salaam Gateway by DinarStandard. Broad incumbents are Thomson Reuters Zawya, Reuters Events / Islamic Finance & Halal Industry Coverage and Bloomberg News. Indonesia Halal Industry (IHIA) / BPJPH Coverage Ecosystem is listed as a regional player. HalalTrip / Halal In Travel Global Index is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Halal Times have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Halal Times.