Is KOHO Halal?
KOHO
KOHO's core product — a prepaid Mastercard with budgeting tools and cashback on spending — is a permissible payment tool: it's your own money, no lending contract, and cashback on spending is a rebate. The condition is KOHO's interest feature: earning interest on balances requires opting in, so halal use means simply not enrolling. Verify KOHO's credit-building products separately as they involve fee structures worth reviewing.
Screening basis: AAOIFI Shariah standards · Last reviewed 2026-06-15
HalalWallet is not a Shariah authority and does not issue religious rulings. We compile the most complete public record of what Shariah scholars, screening authorities, and mainstream standards say — reproduced from primary sources with dates and citations — and let you decide.
Do the halal screening authorities agree?
- HalalWallet (AAOIFI)· Doubtful
HalalWallet (AAOIFI) rates KOHO doubtful; no other recognized authority has a published position.
Stances are normalized from each authority's own dated public position. Disagreement usually reflects a methodology or standard difference (ratio timing, market-cap vs total-assets denominator), not an error. For the fund screens (Wahed/HLAL, SP Funds/SPUS), only a confirmed holding that passed the fund's screen counts as a pass — a non-holding is left blank because absence can reflect index scope.
Is KOHO Halal?
KOHO's core product — a prepaid Mastercard with budgeting tools and cashback on spending — is a permissible payment tool: it's your own money, no lending contract, and cashback on spending is a rebate. The condition is KOHO's interest feature: earning interest on balances requires opting in, so halal use means simply not enrolling. Verify KOHO's credit-building products separately as they involve fee structures worth reviewing.
How we read the evidence
HalalWallet's editorial synthesis of the screens, scholar positions, and sources documented on this page — not a religious ruling.
KOHO's core product is among the cleaner Canadian fintech offerings for a Muslim user: a prepaid Mastercard backed by your own balance, with budgeting tools and cashback on spending. There is no lending contract — you can only spend money you already loaded — and cashback on your own purchases is a permissible rebate under the widely followed view. As a day-to-day spending account, KOHO is permissible as-is.
Two features need attention. KOHO offers interest on balances as an opt-in; leave it off, since earning interest is riba regardless of the account's other merits. And KOHO's credit-building products (a line of credit reported to bureaus, paid via subscription fee) sit in murkier territory — a fee-based credit-building service is not interest in form, but it is a charge connected to a credit facility, and cautious users should treat it the way scholars treat fee-based borrowing generally: avoid unless a qualified scholar you trust has examined the specific structure.
The compliant configuration is the default one: load money, spend it, keep the cashback, decline interest, and skip the credit products.
Business Activity Screen
Canadian prepaid card and spending account: cashback on purchases, budgeting tools, opt-in interest on balances, credit-building add-ons.
Verify the current opt-in mechanics for interest and the structure of the Credit Building product before publishing.
Conditions
Do not opt in to interest on balances. Cashback on your own spending is a permissible rebate.
Scholars' & Screeners' Positions
Published positions, cited as stated. Screeners can reach different conclusions on the same company because of ratio timing and methodology differences — we report the disagreement rather than flatten it.
Mainstream contemporary position
Prepaid spending of your own funds is permissible; stipulated interest on balances is riba and must be declined.
Stricter position (interest & fee-bearing advances)
KOHO advertises interest on balances and a credit-building line; earning the stipulated interest is riba and any fee-bearing cash advance resembles an interest loan, so stricter scholars confine permissible use to the prepaid spending card funded with your own money.
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The Final Step: Your Scholar Conversation
Major whether KOHO is halal decisions involve nuances that vary by scholarly opinion and personal circumstance — which is why HalalWallet is built as the research step, not the ruling. We do the homework on comparisons, structures, and oversight; a qualified Islamic scholar, your local imam, or a Shariah-certified financial advisor covers what no comparison site can — guidance specific to your situation. Bring your shortlist to that conversation so it starts at the decision, not the basics.
How to use this comparison: HalalWallet is an independent educational comparison platform — by design, we do not provide financial, legal, or religious advice. We do the research homework so your final checks are quick and personal.
Product structures and Shariah oversight vary by provider, so finish with three built-in steps:
- Confirm current terms and halal compliance directly with the provider — their quote is final.
- Review the contract structure (Murabaha, Ijara, Musharakah, etc.) and any disclosed Shariah board opinions.
- Bring your shortlist to a qualified Islamic finance advisor or scholar, so the conversation is about your situation, not the basics.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sources and review process
This page is reviewed against HalalWallet editorial standards and source documentation.
Reviewed by: HalalWallet Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 2026-07-01
- AMJA (Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America) resources
- KOHO official site
- HalalWallet Methodology
- HalalWallet Editorial Policy
- Halal Stock Screening Methodology (AAOIFI)
- Why Halal Stock Screeners Disagree
- Halal Stock Screeners Compared
- HalalWallet Methodology
- Editorial Policy
- Markdown mirror (AI systems, CC BY 4.0)
- Halal verdict corpus (JSON)
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Editorial Team, HalalWallet
Independent halal finance research
Reviewed quarterly and updated for major content changes.