10  Best Islamic Forex Accounts in Kenya 2024

There are three articles of the Islamic Mua’malat that are relevant to Forex trading:

• Riba: Prohibition of payment and receipt of interest
• Gharar: Prohibition on gambling
• Shared Risk: Both profit and losses

The key element here is the elimination of Riba – or interest on loans or assets.

Riba is central to conventional Forex trading, but according to Islamic law, or Shari’ah law, Muslims are banned from earning interest on loans. Some scholars believe that the practice of removing Riba, as brokers do on their Islamic Forex accounts, legitimises Forex trading under Shariʻah.

Islam also emphasises that when conducting business transactions, elements of uncertainty, excessive speculation and gambling should also be avoided, so it could be argued that hedging trades with Forex is also legitimate under Shari’ah. It is also widely agreed that conventional Forex transactions – if used carefully – are a very effective means of protecting banks from exposure to international risk.

Shared Risk

Another concern about the Islamic nature of Forex trading is the element of shared risk. Luckily, with Forex trading, when you trade, you are investing in an asset – the currency purchased. If this asset increases in value, you will make a profit and if the asset loses value, you will make a loss. The result is a sharing of the benefits and losses of the currency exchange with your counterparty. From this point of view, Forex trading and Islam are compatible in terms of shared risk.

What is an Islamic Forex Account?

Across the Islamic world, many brokers offer Shari’ah compliant accounts to make sure that your trading is not haram – though this does mean that there are a few differences when compared to traditional Forex accounts.

Islamic Forex accounts have two underlying attributes:

• Free swap rates.
• No interest rate payments – or no Riba (page 2 – pdf).

Other than the above, Islamic Forex accounts usually have the same trading terms and conditions as a regular Forex account. However, some most Forex brokers change the commercial terms of trading with them and might limit the trader from trading cryptocurrencies. 

Some Forex brokers will widen their spreads on Islamic accounts to compensate for the missed revenue that would otherwise have been generated by collecting interest. Another practice, but is far rarer, is that some Forex brokers charge an up-front commission on trades instead of widening the spreads.

Forex Brokers with Islamic Swap-free Accounts

There are a variety of brokers that offer Islamic accounts tailored for Muslim traders. There are usually no limitations on this account type – this means you can trade Forex, commodities, CFDs contracts and every financial instrument that complies with the Islamic financial regulations.

An important note:  With most Forex brokers, you will need to open a real trading account which can then be converted into an Islamic account. Few brokers have a registration page specifically for Islamic accounts, and even fewer have Islamic demo accounts, but some brokers with clients from predominantly Muslim countries automatically create accounts as Islamic accounts.

If you are in doubt, make sure you discuss your concerns with your account manager or broker representative before you make a deposit.

Forex Rollovers and Swap Rates Explained

In the Forex market, any position held overnight generates a rollover which will be earned or paid out depending on the currency you are trading and the direction of the market. Rollover interest is a form of interest that can be credited or debited from your Forex trading account, and thus it is prohibited by Islamic financial regulations.  In the financial world, this rollover is also known as the swap rate.  So, Islamic Forex accounts are swap-free accounts where no overnight interest is credited or debited.

Islamic Financial Regulatory Bodies

The central financial regulatory bodies in the Islamic world are the following:

• Islamic Financial Services Board– IFSB.
• Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic and Financial Institutions– AAOIFI.
• International Islamic Financial Market– ISFM.
• Liquidity Management Center– LMC.

Forex brokers that are registered in Muslim majority countries often have to comply with many local regulations and are required to follow Shari’ah law, whereas Western Forex brokers have much more flexibility when it comes to the interest charged to their clients.  This is why only some of the brokers offer this account type.

Summary

An Islamic Forex account, or swap-free account, is an optional account type that is often selected after signing up with a broker.  They are intended for use by traders of the Islamic faith, which prohibits generating income from interest payments.  Most Forex brokers can accommodate followers of the Islamic faith by offering swap-free trading accounts that are compliant with Shari’ah law. To learn more about different brokers further reading on how to compare Forex brokers can be found here.

Forex Risk Disclaimer

Trading Forex and CFDs is not suitable for all investors as it carries a high degree of risk to your capital: 75-90% of retail investors lose money trading these products. Forex and CFD transactions involve high risk due to the following factors: Leverage, market volatility, slippage arising from a lack of liquidity, inadequate trading knowledge or experience, and a lack of regulatory protection. Traders should not deposit any money that is not considered disposable income. Regardless of how much research you have done or how confident you are in your trade, there is always a substantial risk of loss. (Learn more about these risks from the UK’s regulator, the FCA, or the Australian regulator, ASIC).

Our Rating & Review Methodology

Our State of the Market Report and Directory of CFD Brokers to Avoid are the result of extensive research on over 180 Forex brokers. These resources help traders find the best Forex brokers – and steer them away from the worst ones. These resources have been compiled using over 200 data points on each broker and over 3000 hours of research. Our team conducts all research independently: Testing brokers, gathering information from broker representatives and sifting through legal documents. Learn more about how we rank brokers.

Editorial Team

 

Chris Cammack
Head of Content

Chris joined the company in 2019 after ten years experience in research, editorial and design for political and financial publications. His background has given him a deep knowledge of international financial markets and the geopolitics that affects them. Chris has a keen eye for editing and a voracious appetite for financial and political current affairs. He ensures that our content across all sites meets the standards of quality and transparency that our readers expect.

 

Alison Heyerdahl
Senior Financial Writer

Alison joined the team as a writer in 2021. She has a medical degree with a focus on physiotherapy and a bachelor’s in psychology. However, her interest in forex trading and her love for writing led her to switch careers, and she now has over eight years experience in research and content development. She has tested and reviewed 100+ brokers and has a great understanding of the Forex trading world.

 

Ida Hermansen
Financial Writer

Ida joined our team as a financial writer in 2023. She has a degree in Digital Marketing and a background in content writing and SEO. In addition to her marketing and writing skills, Ida also has an interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain networks. Her interest in crypto trading led to a wider fascination with Forex technical analysis and price movement. She continues to develop her skills and knowledge in Forex trading and keeps a close eye on which Forex brokers offer the best trading environments for new traders.