The Australian Halal Investing Landscape
Australia's Islamic finance market is smaller than the UK's but growing. The major development in recent years has been the emergence of halal superannuation options — critical for Australian Muslims who want their retirement savings invested islamically.
Halal Superannuation
Super is compulsory in Australia (currently 11% employer contribution). Until recently, most Muslim Australians had no choice but to accept non-halal investment options within their super fund. This has changed:
- Crescent Wealth: Australia's first dedicated Islamic superannuation fund. Fully Sharia-supervised, invests in global halal equities, sukuk, and halal property.
- Other funds: Some mainstream super funds now offer ethical/ESG options that may approximate Islamic screening — verify with a scholar.
Halal Investing Outside Super
For non-super investments, Australian investors can buy US-listed halal ETFs (SPUS, HLAL) through ASX-listed international ETF providers or directly through a broker with international access like Interactive Brokers or Stake (US shares).
Australian Halal Brokers and Platforms
- Stake: Allows Australians to buy US stocks and ETFs commission-free — access to SPUS, HLAL, and all major halal investments.
- Interactive Brokers: Full international access, low costs, suitable for larger portfolios.
- CommSec International: Commonwealth Bank's international trading platform.
Islamic Mortgages in Australia
Crescent Finance and MCCA (Muslim Community Cooperative Australia) offer Islamic home finance in Australia using musharakah and ijara structures. This market has been growing as house prices have pushed more Muslims to seek halal financing.
Bottom Line
Australian Muslim investors have improving halal options, particularly with Crescent Wealth for superannuation. For non-super investing, access US-listed halal ETFs through platforms like Stake.