Baraka, in depth

What Baraka actually offers

Baraka is a UAE-based investing app that gives access to a wide range of US and other international stocks and ETFs, including the Shariah-screened tickers covered earlier in this guide, such as SPUS and HLAL. Unlike a managed-portfolio platform, Baraka is closer to a self-directed brokerage — you choose which ETFs to buy and how much to put toward each one.

The app includes screening indicators on many listed stocks to flag whether a company generally passes common Shariah-compliance criteria, though the platform itself attributes that status to third-party screening providers rather than certifying it independently.

What using it day-to-day feels like

Signing up follows the familiar shape from Chapter 9 — identity and residency documents, a short wait for verification, then funding the account. From there, using Baraka feels closer to a self-directed brokerage app: you search for a ticker, check its screening indicator, and place an order yourself.

For SIP-style investing, this means manually placing the same order each month, rather than an automated recurring contribution — worth knowing if a hands-off, automatic approach matters to you.

Fees, worth knowing

As a self-directed brokerage, Baraka's cost structure tends to center on trading and FX fees rather than an ongoing management fee, since there's no managed portfolio being run on your behalf — the categories described in Chapter 11. Current rates and any account minimums are set by Baraka and can change, so its own pricing page remains the reliable source.

Who it's a good fit for

Baraka tends to suit investors who want to choose specific Shariah-screened ETFs or stocks themselves, rather than hand portfolio decisions to an automated service. Someone who prefers a fully managed, hands-off halal portfolio may want to weigh it against a managed alternative like the one covered in Chapter 12.