Mnaara.com launches as world's first fintech for Shariah-conscious investors

Digital investment platform Mnaara has officially launched in the UK and is now providing access to private markets investments for Shariah-conscious investors from across the world.

The platform is the first to offer global private markets to individual and institutional Shariah-compliant investors, something that has been very difficult to access in the past. Even the biggest private banks have extremely limited options for the Shariah-conscious investor outside publicly listed securities, the company shared in a statement.

Mnaara's products and services are designed to simplify the investment process and provide convenient digital access to investments from anywhere in the world. It offers a seamless digital platform, moving new members from sign-up to investment through a complete digital end-to-end process, avoiding a generally longer administrative onboarding procedure.

Saad Adada, founder and CEO of Mnaara, said: "We are excited to announce the launch of our platform Mnaara. Private markets have become an essential part of a well-diversified portfolio. Disregarding private markets significantly limits investors in targeting high returns and in expanding the variety within their investment portfolio. For Shariah-compliant investors, the space is even more limited and largely inaccessible."

"At Mnaara we are on a mission to change that. We're here to identify high-performing private fund managers, make them visible and accessible with smaller investment tickets and ascertain that they fit our Shariah guidelines."

The funds follow strict Shariah screening guidelines which limit and control what are considerednon-ethicalactivities in Islamic finance, such as gambling, tobacco, alcohol, and arms, in addition to generating income from interest. Financial guidelines are also followed with respect to using excessive leverage and financial derivatives.

Private funds are offered under two main strategies:

• Global Growth Strategy: Private Equity funds focusing primarily on investing in private companies that have proven business models with a clear path to exit through sale or public offering. As opposed to typical buy-out funds, Shariah-compliant funds limit their investments into compliant businesses and do not depend on borrowings to deliver their returns, making such strategies less risky and more in-line with ethical investing.
• Global Private Debt Strategy: Using asset-based financing funds to provide investors a periodic stream of cash income while adhering to the Shariah guidelines prohibiting interest.

Mnaara leverages the experience and network of its team of experts who have accumulated many years' of experience in managing multi-billion-dollar portfolios. With their knowledge and extensive networks, they're best positioned to select the top-performing investment options that align with Shariah guidelines, the company states.