Halal Binary Options
Whether binary options are Halal or Haram is open to interpretation, however trading platforms are increasingly offering accounts that aim to comply with Islamic finance principles. This guide weighs both sides of the debate and evaluates the binary options brokers marketing Halal accounts.
This article is not a source of religious advice. Speak to a local religious leader for further guidance.
Best Halal Binary Options Brokers
Our tests show these are the top 5 brokers with Halal binary options accounts:
- IQ Option - IQ Option is a top-rated binary options and digital trading broker. Trade on a user-friendly platform with a low starting deposit. Simply decide whether the price of an asset will go up or down to win a predetermined payout up to 90%+.
- Grand Capital - Trade high-low binary options contracts on currencies, metals and cryptos with high payouts. Binaries offer a straightforward bet on the short-term direction of an asset.
- Dukascopy - Dukascopy offers binary options on currency pairs, stocks and indices, alongside powerful trading tools and market insights. User gets flexible contract sizes and deposits are protected by EU law, though the $1000 starting investment is higher than alternatives.
- World Forex - World Forex offers binary options where you simply decide the stake, price direction and contract timeframe. The payouts are high at up to 100% on American contracts and 85% on European, which also offers a partial refund to traders who close contracts before expiry.
- Olymp Trade - Olymp Trade offers fixed time trades (FTT) on a diverse but modest range of markets, from OTC currencies to composite indices. FTT commissions are charged between 5%-10% and you can trade with ultra-short time frames from 5 seconds. Payouts are available up to 93% for those who can afford the $2000 'Expert' status deposit.
Halal Binary Options Comparison
| Broker | Islamic Account | Markets | Regulator | Minimum Deposit | Visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
✔ | CFD, Forex, Crypto, Stocks, Digital Options | - | $10 | Visit |
|
✔ | CFDs, Forex, Indices, Shares, Energies, Metals, Cryptocurrencies, Binary Options | FinaCom | $10 | Visit |
|
✔ | Forex, CFDs, indices, shares, commodities, metals, cryptocurrencies, bonds, binary options | FINMA, FCMC, JFSA | $100 | Visit |
|
✔ | Forex, CFD Stocks, Metals, Energies, Cryptos, Digital Contracts | SVGFSA | $1 | Visit |
|
✔ | Forex, CFD, Stocks, Indices, Commodities, Crypto, ETFs, OTC, Fixed Time Trades | VFSC | $10 | Visit |
#1 - IQ Option
Why We Chose IQ Option
IQ Option is a top-rated binary options and digital trading broker. Trade on a user-friendly platform with a low starting deposit. Simply decide whether the price of an asset will go up or down to win a predetermined payout up to 90%+.
"IQ Option is a good broker for beginners with a slick platform and low minimum investment. New users can also open an account in three easy steps."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Minimum Deposit: $10
- Payout %: 91%
- Copy Trading: No
- Platforms: Own
- Instruments: Stocks, Forex, Crypto
About IQ Option
IQ Option is a trusted broker with multi-asset trading on its user-friendly proprietary platform. The broker provides trading on forex, stocks, cryptos, indices, commodities and ETFs with competitive fees and a good suite of extra features and educational content. You can also open an account with just $10.
Pros
- User-friendly platform for beginners
- High payouts on binary options
- Access to IQ Option community
Cons
- No MetaTrader 4 integration
- €10 inactivity fee after 90 days
#2 - Grand Capital
Why We Chose Grand Capital
Trade high-low binary options contracts on currencies, metals and cryptos with high payouts. Binaries offer a straightforward bet on the short-term direction of an asset.
"Grand Capital is a good broker for traders familiar with MetaTrader plus passive investors interested in copy trading and LAMM solutions. On the downside, the broker's regulatory credentials lag behind competitors."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Minimum Deposit: $10
- Payout %: 86%
- Expiry Times: 1 minute - 48 hours
- Bonus: 40% deposit bonus
- Copy Trading: Yes
- Platforms: MT4, MT5
- Instruments: Stocks, Forex, Crypto
About Grand Capital
Grand Capital is a MetaTrader broker with welcome bonuses, trading competitions and an intuitive copy trading service. Several account types and 400+ assets provide trading opportunities for various types of investors and strategies. New users can also open an account and start trading in a matter of minutes.
Pros
- Micro account for beginners
- GC Invest platform for copy trading
- Full range of investments including dedicated GC Option brand for binaries
Cons
- Basic education and market research
- High spreads on some assets
- Limited regulatory oversight
#3 - Dukascopy
Why We Chose Dukascopy
Dukascopy offers binary options on currency pairs, stocks and indices, alongside powerful trading tools and market insights. User gets flexible contract sizes and deposits are protected by EU law, though the $1000 starting investment is higher than alternatives.
"Dukascopy will appeal to active day traders with fee rebates and the JForex platform for automated trading."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Minimum Deposit: $100
- Payout %: 90%
- Expiry Times: 3 minutes - 1 day
- Bonus: 10% Equity Bonus
- Copy Trading: No
- Platforms: MT4, AlgoTrader
- Instruments: Stocks, Forex, Crypto
About Dukascopy
Dukascopy is an online broker operated by a Swiss-regulated banking group. It offers a good selection of 500+ markets, with forex, stocks, gold, ETFs, indices, bonds and cryptocurrencies available. It also offers flexible trading opportunities through the choice of CFDs or binary options. Traders will use MetaTrader 4 or a proprietary platform that is well-suited to automated trading.
Pros
- Dukascopy offers trading on a powerful proprietary platform plus the popular MT4
- Low minimum deposit of $100
- The broker hosts its own TV channel, alongside various educational materials and an active online community
Cons
- Time-consuming registration process
- No Islamic trading account
#4 - World Forex
Why We Chose World Forex
World Forex offers binary options where you simply decide the stake, price direction and contract timeframe. The payouts are high at up to 100% on American contracts and 85% on European, which also offers a partial refund to traders who close contracts before expiry.
"World Forex provides both highly leveraged CFDs and digital contracts, making this a good broker for clients who want flexible and rewarding ways to trade. The copy trading service will also appeal to newer traders."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Minimum Deposit: $1
- Payout %: 100%
- Expiry Times: 1 minute - 7 days
- Bonus: 100% Deposit Bonus
- Copy Trading: Yes
- Platforms: MT4, MT5
- Instruments: Stocks, Forex, Crypto
About World Forex
World Forex is an offshore broker registered in St Vincent and the Grenadines, offering commission-free trading with a $1 minimum deposit and 1:1000 leverage. Digital contracts are also available, offering beginners a straightforward way to speculate on popular financial markets.
Pros
- Copy trading solution
- Several different account types with varied pricing structures
- STP/ECN technology
Cons
- No negative balance protection
- Weak regulation
- Withdrawal fees apply
#5 - Olymp Trade
Why We Chose Olymp Trade
Olymp Trade offers fixed time trades (FTT) on a diverse but modest range of markets, from OTC currencies to composite indices. FTT commissions are charged between 5%-10% and you can trade with ultra-short time frames from 5 seconds. Payouts are available up to 93% for those who can afford the $2000 'Expert' status deposit.
"Olymp Trade remains a good choice for beginners looking for a user-friendly bespoke platform and mobile app, plus 24/7 customer support. The $10 minimum deposit makes it easy to get started, however, the range of additional day trading tools trails competitors."
- DayTrading Review Team
- Minimum Deposit: $10
- Payout %: 93%
- Expiry Times: 5 seconds - 23 hours
- Copy Trading: No
- Platforms: Olymp Trade Platform
- Instruments: Stocks, Forex, Crypto
About Olymp Trade
Olymp Trade was established in 2014 and now boasts over 89 million traders. With a presence in over 130 countries and support in 13 languages, the brand offers a stable platform and attractive rewards for new traders. Olymp Trade also offers fixed time trades (FTT) over a diverse range of markets. The brand is licensed offshore by the VFSC.
Pros
- Short-term strategies are catered to with scalping signals and chart timeframes from 5 seconds
- Diverse range of day trading markets including commodities, cryptos and composite indices
- Beginner-friendly blog section with analytics, trading education and market news
Cons
- Limited transparency on the website
- Weak regulatory oversight and offshore registration means traders will receive limited safeguards compared to top alternatives
- Commissions charged on all assets - up to 15% on standard trades and up to 10% on FTT
Are Binary Options Compatible With Islam?
These are the three core arguments on each side of the debate:
Haram
- Interest: Binary options trades that charge or award any form of interest on overnight positions are potentially forbidden in line with Riba.
- Gambling: Binary options trading, especially if no strategy is used, is arguably online betting, which is prohibited in line with Maisir.
- Uncertainty: Binary options are primarily used to speculate on unpredictable short-term market fluctuations, while their ‘all-or-nothing’ nature makes them inherently risky and potentially prohibited in line with Gharar.
Halal
- Approach: Binary options traders that have a clear strategy, for example, using technical analysis to discover opportunities, may approach the activity as investing rather than gambling.
- Islamic account: Tailored binary options accounts that are designed to allow traders to avoid earning or being charged interest, may not fall foul of Riba.
- Fixed risk: Unlike other trading instruments where losses can be unlimited, binaries have a fixed risk and reward profile, potentially reducing the level of uncertainty.
Ultimately, whether binary options trading is Halal or Haram will depend on who you ask and the trader in question.
That said, this is fairly clear: wild binary trades made with no clear plan or understanding of the financial markets are likely to be considered Haram.
How Halal Binary Options Accounts Work
With online trading rising in popularity, including amongst Muslim investors, we’ve seen a growing number of brokers introduce Islamic-friendly accounts. These are essentially swap-free accounts that are designed to completely remove Riba from trading.
Halal binary options accounts should meet three criteria:
- Immediate execution of trades: Muslim teachings state that hand-to-hand exchanges should be prompt
- Immediate settlement of transaction costs: This avoids open trades being rolled over to the next day
- Zero-interest: Charging or incurring interest on trades
If a broker’s Islamic account does not meet these conditions, your binary options trading activities may not be considered Halal.
Having spent years evaluating binary options trading platforms, there are several other relevant factors to consider:
- Choice of underlying asset: Leading platforms today offer binaries on a wide range of underlying assets, from stocks and indices to commodities and cryptocurrencies. However, keep in mind that some consider it inappropriate to trade binaries in stocks relating to forbidden industries, for example, producers of alcohol, tobacco, weapons and adult entertainment.
- Interest on unused cash: We’re observing a growing number of brokers paying interest on unused trading balances. These should be avoided, as this practice is forbidden in Shariah Law.
- Security of funds: Binary options scams have plagued the industry in recent years, stealing traders’ deposits or unfairly manipulating trading conditions in their favour. One high-profile Europol case from 2021 involved a cross-border investigation into the theft of at least €15 million from victims of fake binary options websites operating out of Bulgaria, Cyprus and Ukraine. This highlights the importance of treating all binary brokers with caution, no matter how professional they appear.
Bottom Line
The issue of whether binary options trading is Halal or Haram will continue to be debated by scholars.
However, some feel that by trading binary options strategically, Muslims can avoid gambling. Also, several brokers now market halal binary options accounts to help traders stay within Shariah Law.
Ultimately, DayTrading.com is not a religious authority so we cannot say with certainty whether binary options trading is Halal or Haram. This will depend on your interpretation and individual approach to trading.
That’s also why we recommend consulting a local religious leader and reading the materials below.
Article Sources
- Islamic Finance - Corporate Finance Institute
- Interest (riba) - Islamic Relief
- Binary Options - IslamQA
- Binary Options Islamic Accounts - Islam Stack Exchange
- Binary Options Scam - Europol
The writing and editorial team at DayTrading.com use credible sources to support their work. These include government agencies, white papers, research institutes, and engagement with industry professionals. Content is written free from bias and is fact-checked where appropriate. Learn more about why you can trust DayTrading.com