Research scattered across providers
Charges, screening methods, governance and availability rarely arrive in a format you can compare.
Shariah research · For UK financial advisers
Your client's faith.
Your advice.
A clearer starting point.
When a client asks about Shariah investing, the research shouldn't mean starting from scratch. Sanad is bringing the options, sources and evidence into one place.
In development. Free to join. No commitment.
Built for advisers and paraplannersResearch first. Evidence always.by Amanah.FinanceVideo · @tiger-lily
01 / A familiar challenge
One client question.
Too many places to look.
A factsheet here. A platform list there. A call to a provider. Finding an option is only part of the work. You still need to understand it, compare it and explain why it fits this client.
Preferences that need a proper conversation
Faith preferences are not a proxy for attitude to risk. Both need to be understood and recorded separately.
An evidence trail for the client file
A shortlist is not the whole story. Your file needs the sources, the alternatives and the reasons behind your judgement.
02 / The research, together
From scattered sources
to a considered case.
We're starting with what advisers ask first: how the Shariah DFM and model portfolios actually compare, and what can be held in an ISA, SIPP, GIA or JISA on which adviser platforms — with Shariah preferences capture and a dated, source-linked research pack alongside.
Help shape the first versionSanad is in development. This is a research-pack concept, not a live service or a recommendation. Coverage will be limited to information we can verify.
SanadResearch pack / Concept
A clear record.
Not just a shortlist.
Client preferencesFaith constraints recorded separately from risk
Portfolio comparisonBinary, TAM, Simply Ethical and Ascencia on charges, risk and governance
Holdings & platformsWhat fits an ISA, SIPP, GIA or JISA, and where cash interest can be avoided
Evidence trailDocument, source and check date
Unverified information stays visible as unverified.
Professional judgement stays with you.
The starting point
Capture the client's preferences.
Use a structured conversation to understand screening preferences, sukuk, cash interest and purification. Keep faith constraints distinct from risk assessment.
The comparison
See the differences that matter.
Binary, TAM, Simply Ethical and Ascencia all run Shariah DFM and model portfolios. The research will set their charges, risk, screening method and governance side by side, with gaps clearly labelled.
The holdings
Know what can be held where.
Which Shariah holdings can sit inside an ISA, SIPP, GIA or JISA, on which adviser platform — Transact, Quilter, Aviva, Fidelity Adviser Solutions, abrdn and Nucleus — and where cash interest can be avoided rather than purified. Availability is part of the research, not an afterthought.
What comes next
Build around real adviser cases.
Holdings screening, wording support and review tools are planned areas to explore with founding advisers, not features we're claiming are available today.
From the field
What this costs to do by hand.
Timed, not guessed.
6 weeks
One real case, timed end to end.
Summer 2026: the first case took about six weeks including onboarding — agency agreements, plus finding which platforms switch off cash interest and hold Binary, Simply Ethical and TAM. Later cases came in at about two weeks. That first-case set-up burden is what Sanad removes.
4 of 54
Defaqto has no Shariah filter.
A live July 2026 search — £20,000 ISA, Cautious profile — matched 4 of 54 platforms using ESG filters as stand-ins. The Shariah detail that mattered was added by hand.
3 of 5
Platforms that can't switch cash interest off.
3 of the 5 platforms we asked could not switch cash interest off — the interest is calculated and given to charity instead. The other two can, some only on request. The answers aren't confirmed in writing yet, so the research packs will name each platform once verified. Advisers still have to ask one by one.
0
Existing sources that hold the full answer.
Which platforms hold which Shariah portfolios and funds, and which switch off cash interest — no single source has it today. Sanad turns the month of groundwork and the platform emails into one dated lookup.
Sources: one real, anonymised adviser case (summer 2026) and direct platform conversations, November 2026. Figures re-verified before launch.
- 01
Understand the client.
Record their Shariah preferences alongside your existing assessment of risk, experience and capacity for loss.
- 02
Compare the options.
Review the Shariah portfolios available on your platforms, their supporting documents and the questions still needing an answer.
- 03
Document your judgement.
Bring dated sources and your reasoning together for your suitability review and client file.
Sanad supports research. The regulated adviser remains responsible for suitability and any personal recommendation.
04 / The adviser library
A useful place
to begin.
Two working-edition guides for UK advisers. Join with your work email to unlock the PDFs. No payment required.
Guide 01 / The research reference
The UK Adviser's Field Guide to Shariah-Compliant Funds
A working reference for fund research: example funds, screening methods, governance and the checks to make before a recommendation.
- Fund and ETF reference tables, including ISINs
- Screening standards explained in plain language
- Governance and platform checks
- A 10-point pre-recommendation checklist
11 pages · PDF · Working edition
Guide 02 / The client conversation
The Shariah Client Conversation Playbook
A practical companion for conversations about faith and investing, from the first question to the annual review.
- A 13-question Shariah preferences fact-find
- Five common objections, handled respectfully
- Draft wording patterns for adviser review
- Zakat, purification and cash-interest basics
9 pages · PDF · Working edition
The guides are educational working editions, not advice or religious rulings. Provider information and financial figures must be rechecked against current primary sources before use.
05 / Our research principles
Clarity over certainty.
Evidence over assurances.
We want you to see what is known, what has changed and what still needs checking.
Sources you can trace.
The planned research pack will pair information with its source and the date checked. A point-in-time record, not a permanent assurance.
Gaps you can see.
Unverified data should be labelled clearly. Missing information should never look like confirmation.
A method you can inspect.
Screening and any future scoring need a transparent methodology. We will not present a sample rating as a live assessment.
Your judgement, supported.
Research is an input to advice, not a substitute for it. Sanad does not certify funds or issue religious rulings.
06 / Before you join
A few fair
questions.
Is Sanad available now?
Sanad is in development. Founding advisers will help shape the first version, starting with research packs, preferences capture and model-portfolio comparison. Joining is free and does not commit you to a purchase.
Who is it for?
UK financial advisers and paraplanners researching Shariah investing for clients. Specialist advisers, generalists, firms and networks are welcome to register. This is not a consumer investment service.
Does Sanad give financial advice?
No. Sanad is a research tool for regulated advisers. It does not give personal recommendations, and the adviser remains responsible for suitability.
Does Sanad certify funds or issue fatwas?
No. Research will explain the available screening methods and governance evidence. Sanad does not issue religious rulings or certify a fund as permanently Shariah-compliant.
What information will be covered?
We are starting with the two areas advisers ask about first: how the Shariah DFM and model-portfolio ranges — Binary, TAM, Simply Ethical and Ascencia — compare on charges, risk, screening and governance, and what can be held in an ISA, SIPP, GIA or JISA on adviser platforms such as Transact, Quilter, Aviva, Fidelity Adviser Solutions, abrdn and Nucleus, including where cash interest can be avoided. Wider fund and holdings coverage will depend on data availability, permissions and validation with founding advisers. Gaps will be clearly labelled.
What happens when I join?
Your required details are saved first. You can then share optional feedback or skip it. No email is sent — both working-edition PDFs download directly from the links shown.
What will it cost?
Joining the founding-adviser list is free. Founding advisers will receive preferential pricing at launch. Pricing and a launch date have not been announced.
07 / Founding advisers
Help build a better
starting point.
Bring your real-world cases and the questions your current research doesn't answer.
- Early access when the first version is ready
- A voice in the research and roadmap
- Preferential pricing at launch
- Two free working-edition guides today
For UK professionals. Free to join. No commitment.
Build it with us