What makes an investment halal?
A halal investment avoids three main prohibitions: riba (interest), gharar (excessive uncertainty or speculation), and maysir (gambling). In practice this means:
- No investment in companies deriving significant revenue from alcohol, tobacco, weapons, conventional finance, pornography, or gambling
- No interest-bearing bonds or conventional fixed income
- No excessive leverage or speculative derivatives
- Business activities must be clearly identifiable and permissible
Halal investment platforms either screen portfolios against these criteria using their own Sharia Supervisory Board, or provide tools to help you screen stocks yourself.
ISA wrapper: Holding halal investments inside a Stocks and Shares ISA is perfectly permissible — you can grow your wealth tax-free while staying Sharia-compliant. Both Wahed and Simply Ethical offer halal ISAs.
UK halal investment platforms 2026
Wahed is the UK's most established halal robo-advisor, founded specifically to serve Muslim investors globally. Answer a few questions about your risk appetite, and Wahed builds and manages a diversified halal portfolio — including Sharia-compliant stocks, Sukuk, and gold. Certified by AAOIFI. Also offers a Stocks and Shares ISA and Junior ISA.
Simply Ethical is the UK's longest-established dedicated halal investment platform, FCA regulated since 2009. Unlike Wahed's robo-advisor model, Simply Ethical offers genuine financial advice alongside managed portfolios. They offer ISAs, pensions (SIPP), and general investment accounts — all Sharia-screened. Particularly strong for pension consolidation.
Cur8 Capital specialises in alternative halal investments — private equity, real estate, and Sukuk — typically inaccessible to retail investors. They provide institutional-grade halal investment opportunities from a £5,000 minimum. Ideal for experienced Muslim investors looking to diversify beyond the stock market.
Zoya is not an investment platform but an essential tool for Muslim investors who want to self-direct. It screens individual stocks for Sharia compliance, showing exactly which companies pass or fail and why — including revenue from impermissible activities and debt ratios. Use alongside Trading 212 or AJ Bell.
Trading 212 is a zero-fee platform popular among self-directed UK Muslim investors. Pair it with ISUS (iShares MSCI USA Islamic UCITS ETF) — a Sharia-screened ETF — inside a Stocks and Shares ISA for a halal, tax-efficient investment with no platform fee. Use Zoya to screen any individual stocks you add alongside ISUS.
Note: Trading 212 is not itself Sharia-certified — you are responsible for your own screening. This approach suits confident, self-directed investors who understand what they're buying.
The UK halal investing market has matured significantly
Beginners: start with Wahed for a managed, certified portfolio from £50. More experienced: pair Trading 212 with ISUS and Zoya for a zero-fee, self-directed approach. Wealth builders: Simply Ethical for advice-led portfolios and pension consolidation. Diversifiers: Cur8 Capital for alternative assets beyond equities. There is now no reason for British Muslims to invest in impermissible assets.
Side-by-side comparison
| Platform | Type | Min | Annual Fee | ISA Available | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wahed InvestRobo-advisor | Managed | £50 | 1% pa (min £2.99/mo) | Yes ✓ | Apply → |
| Simply EthicalManaged + advised | Managed | £1,000 | Verify direct | Yes ✓ | Apply → |
| Cur8 CapitalAlternatives | Alternatives | £5,000+ | Varies | No | Apply → |
| Zoya AppScreener tool | Tool | N/A | Free / £9.99/mo | N/A | Download → |
| Trading 212 + ISUSSelf-directed | Self-directed | £1 | £0 | Yes ✓ | Apply → |
Frequently asked questions
Investing in stocks is permissible in Islam provided the companies you invest in are involved in halal activities and meet certain financial screening criteria (such as debt ratios and interest income thresholds). A diversified halal equity portfolio that avoids prohibited sectors is considered permissible by the majority of Islamic scholars.
Some ETFs are halal — specifically those that track Sharia-screened indices, such as the MSCI Islamic indices. The ISUS ETF (iShares MSCI USA Islamic UCITS ETF) is one of the most accessible halal ETFs for UK investors. Conventional broad-market ETFs (like those tracking the full S&P 500) include companies in prohibited sectors and are not halal.
Yes — an ISA is simply a tax wrapper. Holding Sharia-compliant investments inside a Stocks and Shares ISA is perfectly permissible. Using an ISA is considered a wise use of the tax-free allowance. The key is that the underlying investments must be halal, not the wrapper itself.