Cur8 Capital

The average Muslim family in Britain pays thousands more for their Islamic mortgage. And God willing, we're about to fix that Islamic mortgage premium forever: Our home finance fund just passed £40 million. For context, that's tiny in the grand scheme of UK mortgages. But I think it might be the most important £40 million in Islamic finance right now. Here's why. The dream for the Muslim community in the UK has always been simple: get a house in an Islamic way that's priced the same as everyone else's mortgage. That's it. Not asking for much. But the reality is that Islamic home finance has consistently been 1-2% more expensive. On a typical mortgage, that's tens of thousands of pounds extra. So Muslims face this horrible choice - their principles or their financial well-being. What we're doing with this fund is actually quite straightforward. We're providing funding lines to Islamic home finance providers. We've backed Stride Up and Offa. And we've got plenty more in the pipeline. The mechanism is simple: more providers mean more competition. More competition means better pricing. It's not revolutionary economics, but nobody was doing it at scale before. The interesting bit is what happens next. Once we solve the pricing problem - and I genuinely think we will in the next 2-3 years - we can start innovating on the actual mortgage structure itself. Making products that aren't just Sharia-compliant copies of conventional mortgages, but genuinely better alternatives. Maybe products that share risk more equitably. Maybe structures that work better for freelancers or entrepreneurs. Maybe even products that non-Muslims would choose because they're simply superior. We're not there yet. £40 million is just the beginning. But when we hit £400 million? That's when this market fundamentally changes. The path from "Islamic finance is always more expensive" to "Islamic finance is the obvious choice" - that path is actually visible now. And that's quite exciting.

We're delighted to share the Funders In Good first Impact Report. As one of their funders through Cur8 Capital Zakat Impact Fund, we couldn't be more proud of what we're building together: Let's share some of the numbers: • Muslim Youth Helpline answered 250% more calls - including an 88% increase in suicide prevention support • Centre for Media Monitoring corrected 17 biased headlines (the quiet battles that reshape narratives) • Muslim Scout Fellowship reached 25,000 children in faith-sensitive programmes But the real story? We're finally moving beyond the charity mindset that's held us back for decades. See, most philanthropy operates like a plaster on a broken leg. Quick relief, minimal healing. What Funders In Good does differently is they're building the actual hospital. Through the Zakat Impact Fund at Cur8, we've channelled strategic funding into organisations that don't just survive - they scale. Patient capital + hands-on support + faith-centred vision = transformation. We've been in rooms where charities compete for the same £10k grant while missing the £10m opportunities sitting right there. That's changing. FIG's ventures are becoming investment-ready, systems-driven machines that can absorb serious capital and deliver serious impact. The shift from short-term giving to long-term investment isn't just smart - it's ethical and good for our planet, building institutions that outlast us. We deployed £250k last year through our Zakat Impact Fund. Small money in the grand scheme. But compound that with FIG's model? Watch these organisations 10x their impact. Read the full report - it'll change how you think about Muslim philanthropy: https://lnkd.in/e4jGbezn Time to build institutions, not just intentions.

Private credit is booming right now. Expected to hit $2.3 trillion this year. The crazy thing is - almost none of it is Sharia-compliant: Think about that for a second. 1.8 billion Muslims. 25% of the global population. Islamic finance growing 10%+ annually. And yet, when it comes to USD-denominated private credit opportunities, the options are embryonic at best. Non-existent in most cases. Meanwhile, SMEs - small and medium-sized enterprises - make up roughly 50% of the global market. They're the backbone of every economy. From a chain of petrol stations in Uzbekistan to food manufacturers in Pakistan, these businesses scale linearly and need working capital to grow. They're real businesses. With real cash flows. Real collateral. And real impact. But they've been underserved for decades. Too small for institutional capital. Too fragmented for conventional banks to bother with at scale. This is where things get interesting for Muslim investors, because the mismatch between private credit's explosive growth and the lack of halal alternatives creates a genuine opportunity - not just for returns, but for tangible, values-aligned impact. When you finance an SME in Central Asia or the GCC, you're not just parking capital. You're helping a real business expand, hire, and contribute to its local economy. You're doing it through secured, asset-backed structures. And you're doing it in a way that aligns with the principles we actually believe in. I've spent months on the ground - from Tashkent to Dubai to London - looking at this space. And honestly, you learn more from one factory visit than from ten conferences. The infrastructure is starting to catch up. Slowly. But we're still miles behind where we should be. PS - Our Cur8 Capital USD Income Fund was set up 18 months ago to address this exact problem. To start creating the pipework to feed into these parched entrepreneurs. Target net yield 8.5-9.5% p.a., fully Sharia-compliant, asset-backed. Semi-annual distributions. 3-6 month liquidity depending on ticket size. No entry fees. More at https://lnkd.in/e5S6-ddU. PPS - If you're considering an allocation of $250K+, you can book a call directly with me or Mohsin here: https://lnkd.in/g-8p9UE5. For $100K+, you'll speak with our senior investment team (50+ years combined experience).

Fatima Al Fihri changed the world. She founded the first university in the world, which would endure for a millennium, teaching the likes of Ibn Khaldun, al-Razi, and Maimonides. In 859 CE, Fatima al-Fihri founded Al-Qarawiyyin, the world’s oldest continuously operating university, aged for over a millennium and has taught millions. UNESCO and Guinness World Records recognize Al-Qarawiyyin as the oldest continuously operating degree-granting university. It demonstrates the value of long-term investing: 1. Fatima’s endowment of her inheritance created a global hub of knowledge, laying the foundation for scientific and cultural advancements that spanned continents. 2. By funding Al-Qarawiyyin with long-term investments, she demonstrated how sustainable philanthropy can outlive its founders and create perpetual value for future generations. 3. Al-Qarawiyyin became a centre of intellectual exchange that influenced scholars from the Islamic Golden Age to Renaissance Europe, driving global innovation and collaboration. At Cur8 Capital, we draw inspiration from Fatima al-Fihri’s visionary model. The simple lesson is that true wealth is built on sustainable investments that create lasting social value.

The way investors earn regular income has changed. Traditionally, most relied on bonds, real estate, or dividend stocks: Today, private credit is a viable alternative for a resilient, regular income. Private credit has expanded rapidly as banks have retrenched under tighter capital rules, opening space for non-bank lenders to fund the real economy. The global private credit market has c.$2.1 trillion in AUM and is projected to grow by more than $300bn by 2030. The case is particularly compelling in our focus markets. SMEs across the MENA region employ up to 70% of the workforce but remain significantly underfinanced, creating a structural opportunity for asset-backed lending. Private credit offers returns uncorrelated with equities or property, making it a key asset class for investors seeking portfolio resilience. This is exactly the environment the Cur8 USD Income Fund was built for. For investors, private credit can play a diversification role, typically with lower correlation to stocks and real estate, which supports portfolio resilience: - Target Net Return: 8.50 - 9.50% p.a., semi-annual distribution - Geography: North America, MENA, Central Asia & other developed markets - Asset Mix: Real estate secured financing, trade finance, leasing, working capital - Risk Controls: collateralisation, guarantees, covenants, rigorous credit analysis - Liquidity: 3–6-month redemption windows For investors, this is a way to access global, diversified dollar-denominated income with a focus on principal protection. To learn more about this investment opportunity, head over to https://lnkd.in/dfa2AaHY If you're an experienced or high-net-worth investor considering an allocation of USD250k+ then fill out this Typeform, and a member of our experienced investment team will personally be in touch: https://lnkd.in/d3w6HHjT

Ten years ago, Ibrahim and Mohsin started Islamic Finance Guru with a simple blog. Mohsin still had hair and Ibrahim had not yet changed a nappy. At the time, the IFG community numbered just 350 subscribers. Fast forward a decade, and Cur8 Capital now has offices across three continents. Running the numbers recently, the team reflected on how far things have come. Together with our community of investors and partners, we’ve had a direct hand in funding or co-investing in initiatives that have brought over £1bn into the Muslim community. From home finance to asset finance to backing businesses, this milestone belongs as much to the community (you guys), as it does to us. The principle is simple: when the Muslim pound circulates longer within the community, everyone benefits. That has always been the mission. The next stage of this journey is twofold: 1. To continue scaling and supporting our community in realising its financial promise 2. To share the power of ethical finance with the wider public in a way that’s engaging, accessible, and impactful This is just the beginning.

Just spent time working out of Alif's offices in San Francisco. What Omar Waseem and team have built in a very short space of time is exceptional. I love the way they have knitted a community together in a way that makes it easy for everyone to connect and help each other. Their secret sauce is energy, optimism, and a content-driven GTM that actually works. Alif feels different. The content-first approach is fantastic. Every founder becomes a voice, not just a logo on a portfolio page. They're building in public, sharing wins and failures, creating a gravitational pull for talent and capital. A real community where Muslim and minority founders feel empowered. Where someone understands when you need to pause for prayer. God willing, the companies coming out of this ecosystem won't just be successful. They'll be category-defining.

Centuries before modern healthcare systems, Muslim cities built bīmāristāns — teaching hospitals that provided free, universal care regardless of income, status, or religion. The secret to their longevity? Waqf. Endowed assets - land, shops, farms, generated reliable operating income. Governance rules were written directly into the waqf deed, ensuring funds were used for: - Medical staff salaries - Medicines and supplies - Teaching and training future physicians This model allowed institutions like Al-Mansuri in Cairo (1284) and Al-Nuri in Damascus (1154) to operate sustainably for centuries, serving millions without relying on annual donations or state budgets. Why this matters today: 1. Capital → Yield → Mission: Endowment yield from capital covered operating costs, creating financial independence. 2. Perpetual impact: Compounding value that outlived its founders. At Cur8 Capital, we’re inspired by these models. We design investment vehicles that don’t just aim for returns, but create durable, values-aligned impact in the real world. Perpetual capital → Perpetual care.

Al-Azhar University in Egypt (founded 975 CE) is a living case study of Waqf. Waqf was the original endowment model that powered 1000 years of learning: For over a millennium, a network of waqf assets - shops, land, income-generating properties funded free and accessible education, protected academic independence, and scaled impact across continents. Why this matters today: 1. Capital → Yield → Mission: Waqf turns productive assets into steady operating budgets for education, healthcare, and social welfare, without chasing donations every year. 2. Governance by design: Clear rules about how income is used safeguard the mission across generations. 3. Compounding impact: Long-term, values-aligned investing can outlive its founders and serve millions. At Cur8 Capital, we draw on these principles to design modern, values-aligned investment vehicles, where capital works every day to fund real-world outcomes. If you’re building a family waqf, a community endowment, or simply want your investments to create durable social value, let’s talk.

When Keir Starmer hosted Donald Trump for his second state visit, the headlines focused on politics and pageantry. But behind the scenes, something far more consequential was signed: A £150 billion Tech Prosperity Deal. Global giants like Microsoft, Google, Blackstone, and Nvidia are pledging capital into UK sectors including AI, quantum computing, nuclear power, and life sciences. Why does this matter for us? Because when capital moves at this scale, opportunities open up. 1) Jobs The government promises 7,600 roles — but history tells us the ripple effects will be far greater. Data centres, AI labs, and new infrastructure don’t just need engineers. They need HR, legal, logistics, and project managers. And US firms typically pay more than their UK counterparts. That’s not just more jobs, that’s better jobs. If you’re thinking about pivoting into tech or investing in new skills, now is the time to get ahead of the curve. Don’t wait until the job ads go live. Network early. Build your positioning now. 2) Investments This isn’t just a headline figure. The capital is already earmarked: Blackstone → UK data centres Microsoft & Google → supercomputing & cloud Nvidia → venture funds like Accel, Balderton, Air Street Capital, Hoxton Ventures, Phoenix Court The smart move isn’t to chase hype. It’s to study where capital actually lands and back the themes with staying power. At Cur8, we’re focusing on: - Private equity: healthcare, where AI can deliver step-changes in outcomes & efficiency - Venture (EIS Fund): AI, climate, and fintech start-ups with world-class potential - Income funds: real economy assets & infrastructure to generate consistent halal returns The common thread: filter the noise, position early, and invest where capital is compounding long-term value. If you found this breakdown useful, repost and share it with someone thinking about their career or their investments.