Is i-80 Gold (IAU) stock Halal?

i-80 Gold is an exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with a simple and cost-effective way to gain exposure to the price performance of gold without the need for direct physical ownership. Its primary function is to track the daily price movements of gold bullion, allowing participants in the financial markets to invest in gold as a tangible asset, thus helping them diversify their portfolios and hedge against inflation or currency fluctuations. Before any of that matters to a Muslim investor, one question comes first: is i-80 Gold stock Halal?

Is i-80 Gold Shariah compliant?

No. In the October 2026 screening i-80 Gold (IAU) does not pass AAOIFI screening: it fails the non-permissible income, interest-bearing investments and interest-bearing debt screens. The Shariah screening of i-80 Gold follows the two stage method of AAOIFI Shariah Standard No. 21: first the business activity, which must be permissible in itself, then the financial ratios, where non-permissible income is capped at 5% of revenue and interest exposure at 30% of market capitalisation.

Does i-80 Gold pass the business activity test?

The activity screen is only part of the picture this month: i-80 Gold currently fails the non-permissible income, interest-bearing investments and interest-bearing debt screens, so the overall verdict is not compliant regardless of the business itself. Where incidental impermissible income exists, AAOIFI tolerates it only below the 5% revenue ceiling.

Is i-80 Gold's income Halal?

No. i-80 Gold'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 i-80 Gold meet AAOIFI's debt and investment ratio requirements?

No. Both ratios currently breach the 30% caps, measured against a market capitalisation of CA$2.05B (market data as of 1 October 2026): interest bearing investments and interest bearing debt each exceed the limit AAOIFI permits for a Halal investment. The ratios move with the share price as well as the balance sheet, and our Shariah Supervisory Board has IAU re-screened every month.

Why do other halal screeners show a different verdict for i-80 Gold?

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 AAOIFI Standards Explained: What Makes a Stock Halal?