Islamic robo-adviser Wahed raises &pound;6m to expand

Wahed Invest has raised an additional £6m ($7.9m) from existing investors, valuing the company at £75m. The US-based, halal-compliant digital investment platform, which launched in the UK earlier this year, plans to use the cash to further its international expansion plans. The company is also applying for an E-Money licence from the UK’s FCA that would allow it to offer millions of Muslims an alternative place to deposit their money. According to a survey conducted by Wahed, 84% of respondents said they are not confident that existing Islamic banks are fully halal. 

Wahed Invest, an online investment platform compliant with Islamic law, has raised an additional £6 million this year to expand the reach of its global savings solution.

The FinTech platform received the funding from existing investors Boston-based Cue Ball Capital and BECO Capital, a Middle Eastern VC fund known for backing a variety of regional start-ups.

This brings the young company’s total funding to nearly £12m since inception and has raised its valuation to over £75m.

Wahed, which first launched in the US in 2017 and expanded to the UK in August 2018, revolutionised the industry with its halal digital investment platform, which is fully compliant with Islamic law.

This allows savers from all income brackets to invest in a globally diversified portfolio of ethically responsible stocks, Sukuk and gold with as little as £100 minimum investment.

“After gaining positive traction in the US and UK, we are excited to be able to carry this momentum into the rest of the world through our international expansion,” said founder and CEO Junaid Wahedna.

“Wahed aspires to provide a non-lending-based savings solution to over 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide and to play a lead role in fostering innovation in the growing Islamic Finance sector.”

Wahed is also in the process of registering for the E-Money License with the FCA. The platform will offer a practical solution to the millions of Muslims who do not wish to deposit their money with traditional banks.

Currently, existing Islamic banks still function as lending institutions by using Shariah-compliant lending structures.

Wahedna said: “Our survey results show that 84 per cent of respondents do not trust existing Islamic Banks as being truly Islamic. We want to offer a pure investment-based savings solution with no lending components.”

Following a successful launch in the US and UK, Wahed plans on launching in the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) and ASEAN markets, which have a young and rapidly growing demographic of Muslim consumers.

According to Accenture, only one per cent of the $50bn investment in FinTech since 2010 has been in the MENA region.