CRCL

Circle Internet Group, Inc.

HARAM

Score: 18/100

stock

Is CRCL Halal?

Issuer of the USDC stablecoin whose revenue is overwhelmingly interest (riba) earned on reserve assets — a core financial-screen disqualifier.

What You Should Know

Circle Internet Group, Inc. is the issuer of USDC, a US-dollar stablecoin, and the overwhelming majority of its revenue comes from the yield (interest) earned on the reserve assets — primarily US Treasuries and cash — that back the tokens in circulation. While operating payment and blockchain infrastructure is in itself permissible, Circle's business model is fundamentally an interest-earning one: its profitability is driven almost entirely by riba income on reserves, not by service fees. Because interest is the dominant revenue source and far exceeds the 5% threshold, Circle fails the financial screen at the level of its core economics. This is a riba-based business model rather than an incidental interest issue, so it is best classified as non-compliant.

⚠️ Concerns

•The overwhelming majority of Circle's revenue is interest (riba) earned on the reserve assets backing USDC — this is the core of the business model, not an incidental amount, and far exceeds the 5% interest-income tolerance
•Because the profitability depends on riba income on reserves, no purification mechanism realistically addresses the issue — it is a structural, business-model concern
•Stablecoin economics also carry regulatory and reserve-composition uncertainty that compounds the riba problem
•Muslim investors seeking blockchain or fintech exposure should look to companies whose revenue comes from permissible service fees rather than interest on reserves