Is Newmont Stock (NEM) Halal? A Complete Analysis

The Short Answer

Newmont stock (NEM) is generally considered halal by most Islamic scholars and Sharia screening criteria. Newmont Corporation is the world's largest pure-play gold-mining company by production and reserves, with a globally diversified portfolio of operating gold mines and projects across North America, South America, Australia, Africa, and Papua New Guinea.

Gold mining is broadly viewed as permissible at the activity level under standard Sharia methodology — gold itself is a permissible commodity, historically functioning as a monetary metal and store of value in Islamic finance. The financial-screen consideration is leverage following the 2023 Newcrest acquisition financing.

Sharia Screening Methodology

Islamic scholars use several criteria to screen stocks:

• Business activity screen: Is the company's primary business halal?
• Debt ratio: Total debt / market cap must be under 33%
• Interest income: Interest income / total revenue must be under 5%
• Haram revenue: Revenue from haram sources must be under 5%
• Receivables ratio: Total receivables / total assets must be under 49–70% (varies by board)

Newmont's Business Activity

Newmont operates a globally diversified portfolio of operating gold mines and development projects:

• North America: Nevada Gold Mines (the largest gold-producing complex in the world, operated as a 38.5%-owned joint venture with Barrick Gold which is the operator), plus operations in the United States and Canada
• South America: Yanacocha in Peru (one of the largest gold mines in Latin America), Cerro Negro in Argentina, Merian in Suriname
• Australia: Boddington, Tanami, Cadia (acquired through the 2023 Newcrest Mining acquisition)
• Africa: Ahafo in Ghana
• Papua New Guinea: Lihir (acquired through the Newcrest acquisition)

Newmont also produces meaningful by-product copper, silver, lead, and zinc revenue, with copper exposure expanding materially following the Newcrest acquisition. Gold mining is broadly viewed as permissible at the activity level under standard Sharia methodology — Newmont's revenue from selling physical gold and other metals is straightforward extraction-and-sale revenue rather than commodity-derivative speculation.

Concerns to Be Aware Of

1. Newcrest Acquisition Leverage

Newmont assumed debt as part of the 2023 Newcrest Mining acquisition (approximately $19 billion equity deal value plus assumed debt) and has been deleveraging through asset sales and free cash flow generation. The consolidated debt-to-market-cap ratio sits in a manageable range that should be verified against the 33% Sharia threshold at the time of investment.

2. Environmental and Stewardship Considerations

Some scholars apply additional scrutiny to commodity-extraction businesses on environmental-stewardship (khalifa) grounds — concerns include tailings management, water usage, cyanide leaching, and community-impact considerations in operating jurisdictions. This is an ESG and ethical-stewardship consideration rather than a standard Sharia screen concern. Newmont has been an industry leader in tailings safety and ESG disclosure following the 2019 Vale Brumadinho disaster industry response.

3. Commodity Hedging

Newmont uses gold-hedging and copper-streaming instruments in some periods. Investors should verify the current treatment of derivative hedging at their preferred Sharia advisory board, as some boards apply stricter views on commodity derivatives. Newmont has historically followed a primarily unhedged gold-sales strategy with limited copper-streaming exposure.

4. Minor Interest Income

Newmont holds cash balances that generate small interest income, well below the 5% Sharia threshold but warranting purification of a small portion of dividends.

Financial Ratios (2025)

Based on Newmont's most recent financial statements:

• Total Debt / Market Cap: Manageable — verify against 33% threshold after Newcrest deleveraging ⚠️
• Interest Income / Revenue: Well under 5% ✅
• Haram Revenue: Negligible ✅
• Business Activity: Permissible gold mining and metals production ✅

Verdict from Major Screening Agencies

Newmont stock is generally screened as compliant (halal) with purification by:

• Zoya App — Compliant with purification ✅
• MSCI Islamic criteria — Generally included ✅
• Most major Sharia advisory boards — Compliant with purification ✅

Bottom Line

Newmont Corporation (NEM) is generally halal with purification for Muslim investors. The core business — gold mining and the sale of physical gold and other base and precious metals — is unambiguously permissible at the activity level. Gold-mining names are often featured in Sharia-screened equity funds because gold itself is a permissible monetary metal and store of value in Islamic finance.

For Muslim investors seeking gold-mining exposure, NEM is the largest pure-play gold-mining company in the world, comparable in profile to other halal-screened gold-mining names like Barrick Gold (GOLD), Agnico Eagle Mines, and Franco-Nevada. Investors who prefer streaming-and-royalty models over direct mining may consider Franco-Nevada or Wheaton Precious Metals as alternative gold-exposure vehicles.