By HalalCrypto Research Team · Published 2026-04-26 · Updated 2026-05-05
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Some crypto products advertise a product certificate from AAOIFI or formal AAOIFI spot-trading compliance. We do not. AAOIFI publishes Shariah Standards; it does not certify crypto trading platforms.
Literal AAOIFI compliance would overstate the claim. Our framework uses AAOIFI as the primary methodology. Reviewers remain responsible for applying those standards to crypto assets.
Aligned is the honest word. It signals fidelity to a published methodology without implying a product certificate from AAOIFI. It also travels across jurisdictions where AAOIFI adoption differs.
We use AAOIFI-aligned principles as the anchor and cross-check across major Muslim markets. No single local body should define a global product.
AAOIFI is a primary international reference for Islamic finance standards. We treat AAOIFI-published standards as a starting point when those standards address the issue.
Public Islamic-finance scholarship from Mufti Taqi Usmani adds Pakistan-rooted global reasoning. It helps cross-check riba, gharar, sale, ownership, and possession questions.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim market. MUI and DSN-MUI guidance add a necessary Indonesian cross-check for crypto and financial-product framing.
Malaysia's Securities Commission SAC has published digital-asset Shariah resolutions. That adds capital-markets precedent for token screening, trading venues, and disclosure discipline.
Saudi Permanent Committee guidance remains useful on riba, gharar, maysir, qabd, and novel financial instruments. It is one source in the spread, not the whole framework.
Every coin in our universe must pass four independent gates. Failing one gate excludes the coin until the issue is resolved.
Gate 1
Excludes coins whose primary purpose is haram; Examples include gambling contracts, adult content monetisation, conventional insurance pools, and riba-bearing asset wrappers; Incidental exposure threshold is 5% of protocol revenue. Above that, the coin is excluded. Below that, exposure is disclosed before Gate 2.
Gate 2
Applies the AAOIFI-derived 30% debt-to-assets threshold to protocol-level balance sheets; Tokens with treasuries mainly held in interest-bearing instruments fail here. The ratio is recalculated quarterly using on-chain data and public disclosures. Newly launched protocols wait until sufficient history exists.
Gate 3
Ensures every trade satisfies qabd; Execution is spot-only with settlement to the customer's exchange account; No margin, perpetuals, options, or CFDs. Stablecoin pairs are allowed only when the stablecoin clears Gates 1 and 2. Any coin requiring a haram instrument is excluded.
Gate 4
Screens coins and counterparties against OFAC, UN, EU, and equivalent sanctions lists; The list refreshes daily; Sanctioned tokens and sanctioned infrastructure operators are excluded. This is both a regulatory gate and a Shariah gate. Sanctions exposure introduces an inadmissible kind of gharar.
A halal screen is not a one-time stamp; Coins evolve; Stablecoin issuers change their reserve composition; DeFi protocols pivot revenue models. Networks shift from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake or vice versa. We treat the screen as a living state, not a historical decision.
If a coin moves from pass to fail, new entries stop immediately. Existing positions unwind in an orderly manner. Customers receive notice within 24 hours.
The full methodology is published at /halal-methodology; Per-coin verdicts and reasoning are at /is-coin-halal. We refuse to operate as a black box. Anyone — your imam, your scholar, your investment committee — can inspect the screen and challenge it.
That openness is the core of why we believe this framework is durable. Closed systems of religious certification have a poor track record. Transparent, reasoned, auditable systems hold up.
Why do you avoid certificate language?
AAOIFI publishes Shariah Standards; it does not certify crypto trading platforms. We say AAOIFI-aligned, not compliant. Our reviewers remain responsible for applying the standards.
Who reviews your screening?
An internal screening team reviews the framework against published Islamic finance references. Cross-checks can reference Mufti Taqi Usmani, MUI Indonesia, Malaysia SAC, and Saudi Permanent Committee materials where public sources support the specific question.
How often is each coin re-screened?
Gate 1 is continuous; major tokenomics or revenue changes trigger immediate review. Gates 2 and 3 refresh quarterly. Gate 4 refreshes daily. A coin can enter or leave the universe at any time.
Can I see the screening rationale for a specific coin?
Yes. Each coin has a public methodology page at /is-coin-halal/[coin]. It shows each gate, data source, and verdict. Shariah reasoning should be auditable, not hidden.
What happens if a coin we already hold fails re-screening?
If a coin moves from pass to fail, new entries stop immediately. Existing positions unwind in an orderly manner. Customers receive notice within 24 hours.
Why a global source spread instead of one local source?
A global Muslim product needs more than one local lens. AAOIFI-aligned principles guide the framework, while Pakistan-rooted scholarship, Indonesian MUI, Malaysia SAC, and Saudi guidance add cross-market checks when public sources are available.
Other cornerstone guides in this series.
Is crypto halal?
The full Shariah picture — riba, gharar, maysir, and how spot trading earns a permissive verdict.
Halal trading strategy
Asymmetric multi-X targeting (3% in 4h, 5% in 1h, pyramid). No scalping, no leverage.
Why not derivatives, futures, margin
Why every leverage product, perp, and option is structurally excluded from every tier.
Halal crypto vs halal stocks
Where crypto fits next to halal equity portfolios — volatility, liquidity, and screening differences.
Halal crypto vs cash
Inflation, opportunity cost, and the case for putting some halal capital to work.
Best halal cryptocurrencies 2026
Our 2026 verdict list — coins that pass our AAOIFI-aligned framework today.
Guarded Start keeps the universe tight, the position sizes smaller, and the same AAOIFI-aligned screen.
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