UK Sharia-compliant investments

There are more than you think!

I spent many hours researching UK Sharia-compliant investments and I'm making the info freely available 👇 Because in these trying times, it's more important than ever to be intentional about where we invest.

I often hear that there aren't many options available, yet that is increasingly less true - we just need to dig a bit deeper.

Below is my honest review of the providers of Sharia-compliant investments in the UK. I haven't tried them all, so it's not always based on a firsthand experience, but it's based on hours of research. Also, "not financial advice" and all that - this is just general info and not a recommendation.

Know any that I missed? Let me know!

BONUS: Comment ‘Ghina’ (which in Arabic means ‘wealth’ or ‘self-sufficiency’ 😉) or get in touch (via the ‘Message’ button at the end of the post or on my LinkedIn) if you want a detailed spreadsheet with info on every single investment offered by these providers (to my knowledge). And you can also share this post around if you want to help spread this info even further.

1. Cur8 Capital

   1. Pros:

      1. Unparalleled variety - fixed income, private equity and VC funds

      2. Gold standard - 4.6/5 on Trustpilot

   2. Cons: Hard to think of any - but if I had to, I’d say it’s the £5k minimum (though I’m sure they have plans to reduce it)

2. Wahed

   1. Pros:

      1. Accessible - £50 min. investment

      2. Slick app

   2. Cons:

      1. High-risk portfolios equity-focused = biased towards US equities

      2. Low-risk portfolios’ avg returns (1.4%) way below inflation

3. Amal Invest

   1. Pros:

      1. Charges a one-time fee for lifetime access

      2. Has a ‘genocide-free’ filter

      3. Automatic ‘purification’

   2. Cons:

      1. Equity ETFs-focused = biased towards US equities

      2. ‘Genocide-free’ filter a bit too liberal

4. Nester

   1. Pros:

      1. Popular - 4.7/5 on Trustpilot

      2. Decent returns, up to 9%

   2. Cons:

      1. Too popular! No available investments currently, sells out in mins apparently

      2. Investments are in individual properties (riskier than a fund)

5. Pfida

   1. Pros:

      1. Ethical - help people buy their home

      2. Many people say they offer the most ‘compliant’ mortgage structure

   2. Cons:

      1. Not v competitive given similar returns as Islamic bank savings accounts, yet no FSCS protection

      2. Some concerning Trustpilot reviews

6. Yielders

   1. Pros:

      1. Low minimum (£100)

      2. Property-backed: rental income and capital appreciation

   2. Cons:

      1. High fees (12.5% initially, 15% profit share on exit)

      2. 2.5/5 on Trustpilot

7. Acorn Property Invest

   1. Pros: Property-backed: rental income and capital appreciation

   2. Cons:

      1. £5k minimum

      2. Illiquid (1-5 years maturity)

8. Qardus

   1. Pros:

      1. Innovative - SME loan crowdfunding

      2. Decent returns, 8-12%

   2. Cons:

      1. No live opportunities currently it seems (too popular?)

      2. ‘Murabaha’ structure is not preferred by some scholars

9. Simply Ethical

   1. Pros:

      1. Relatively cheap (0.75% annual fee)

      2. Diversified - includes sukuk and gold

   2. Cons:

      1. High-risk portfolios equity-focused = biased towards US equities

      2. Low-risk portfolios’ avg returns (1.3%) way below inflation

10. Oasis Crescent: I couldn’t find much useful information about it...could be targeted at high-net worth individuals?

11. Godwin Capital: In theory they offer a property-backed Sharia-compliant investment, but couldn’t find much info...either discontinued or targeting institutional/high-net worth investors.

P.S. If any of the providers - or their satisfied customers - want to rebut any of the cons I mentioned, or let us know how they are being addressed, please do so in the comments. It's only meant to be constructive, and I personally have great respect for any company bringing Sharia-compliant investments to the UK.

Cur8 Capital, Wahed, Amal Invest (YC W22), Nester, Pfida, Yielders, Acorn Property Invest, Qardus, Simply Ethical, Oasis Crescent, GODWIN CAPITAL LIMITED