Is Hope Bancorp (HOPE) stock Halal?

Hope Bancorp is a publicly traded banking company engaged in providing a diverse range of financial services. Its primary purpose is to offer personal and commercial banking operations, facilitating both individual and business financial needs through a variety of loan products, deposit accounts, and other financial solutions. Serving primarily the Korean-American community, Hope Bancorp fosters economic growth within this demographic by tailoring its services to meet specific cultural and financial needs. For Muslim investors, though, the most pressing question is simpler: is Hope Bancorp a Halal investment?

Is Hope Bancorp Shariah compliant?

No. In the October 2026 screening Hope Bancorp (HOPE) does not pass AAOIFI screening: it fails the non-permissible income and interest-bearing debt screens. Finance is the sector where Shariah screening does the most work, because Riba is not incidental here, it can be the product itself. Hope Bancorp passes the business activity screen only if its revenue comes from permissible services rather than lending at interest, and the financial screens of AAOIFI Shariah Standard No. 21 still apply in full.

Does Hope Bancorp pass the business activity test?

The activity screen is only part of the picture this month: Hope Bancorp currently fails the non-permissible income and interest-bearing debt screens, so the overall verdict is not compliant regardless of the business itself. The watch item in this sector is the sharpest of all: revenue must come from permissible services, not from lending at interest.

Is Hope Bancorp's income Halal?

No. Hope Bancorp's income from impermissible sources currently exceeds AAOIFI's 5% revenue ceiling, which makes the stock non-compliant on this screen regardless of the others. The screen is reassessed monthly, so the status can change when new financial statements arrive.

Does Hope Bancorp meet AAOIFI's debt and investment ratio requirements?

Not in full. Interest bearing debt currently exceeds the 30% cap, measured against a market capitalisation of $1.7B (market data as of 1 October 2026), while the other ratio stays within it. One breach is enough to fail the screening; the ratios are reassessed monthly under our Shariah Supervisory Board.

Why do other halal screeners show a different verdict for Hope Bancorp?

Screeners can disagree without either being wrong. AAOIFI Shariah Standard No. 21, which Tabadulat applies, measures interest bearing debt and investments against market capitalisation with a 30% ceiling. MSCI and FTSE measure them against total assets with a 33% ceiling, and S&P and Dow Jones Islamic use a multi year average of market capitalisation. Data dates differ too, because each provider reads filings and prices on its own schedule. The same company can therefore pass one standard and fail another in the same month. Tabadulat publishes one answer, the AAOIFI result as of October 2026, and re-screens it every month.

Tabadulat is an ADGM regulated brokerage whose license covers Shari'a Compliant Regulated Activities, as the FSRA permission names them. New to the terminology? Gharar and Maysir, Sukuk, Zakat and purification are all explained in plain English.

New to the screening method? Read What is Riba? A Clear Guide for Ethical Muslim Investing