Islam Meets Wall Street

Demand for Islamic financial products has increased over the last decade—not just in the Gulf and Southeast Asia, but also in America. There are 5.7 million Muslims in the U.S. with $98 billion in disposable income, according to a report by DinarStandard, and many are looking for Sharia-compliant investments. But for many advisors in the U.S., it’s a peculiar market because not a lot of financial experts have expertise in Sharia law. Deals often involve multiple layers to enable them to be Sharia-compliant, and that can lead to added costs, such as double taxation. But one of the biggest issues is the diverging opinions about what makes investments Sharia compliant.