Muslim Money Talk

A 2024 round up! Alhamdullilah after 27 episodes we've have some incredible moments, from discussions on all things Muslim and Money related. Whether it was debating Islamic Finance, getting Personal finance tips, career advice or learning how to start a business there were some fantastic moments from the last 6 months.

Here are just a few...

Show Notes:

00:00 - Introduction

01:54 - Islamic Finance solving WORLD HUNGER?

02:57 - The Power of a Mother's Prayer

06:16 - My Wife Dared Me to Launch An Airline

10:13 - How Islamic is Islamic Finance?

15:37 - Can Women Have a Successful Career AND Family?

20:26 - Building Wealth that Lasts 1,400 years

26:26 - Banking is a Legalised Fraud!

31:02 - If Interest Is Everywhere- Is It All Hopeless?

35:58 - How Apartheid South Africa SHAPED Ideas About Money

39:02 - Dealing with Racism Growing Up In the UK

43:31 - Interest vs. Profit - What's the Difference?

49:41 - UK Schooling is BROKEN

53:42 - How Many Female Imam's Are There?

57:23 - Racism is a part of British Society

1:00:48 - Backlash from Boycotting CocaCola

1:05:01 - Finding Your Calling As A Founder

1:07:53 - How Can Muslims Unlock Their Potential?.

1:11:03 - The Story Behind Kestrl's Name

Yasmine El-Mehairy, a serial entrepreneur and founder of Deja Money, discusses her journey through startups, her inspiration from the Arab Spring, and her mission to empower Muslim women in finance through Deja. She shares lessons learned from her past ventures and insights on fostering financial literacy and independence among women in Saudi Arabia and beyond.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl.

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App

https://kestrl.io/

Show Notes:

00:00 - Opening

02:05 - Networking at fintech events.

03:06 - How entrepreneurship began accidentally.

05:56 - Founding Supermama to fill a content gap.

12:34 - Early funding challenges in Egypt.

17:01 - Supermama’s exit and stakeholder struggles.

24:32 - Cushies: A purpose-driven venture.

28:36 - Transition to UK fintech roles.

34:16 - Deja Money’s origins and goals.

38:38 - Cultural barriers to financial literacy.

44:30 - Saudi focus: Women in the workforce.

52:20 - Lessons on co-founders and networks.

54:52 - Building communities with intention.

58:19 - Yasmeen’s legacy and vision.

In this episode of Muslim Money Talk, Salman Hussein, co-founder of Zeed, discusses the intersection of AI, fintech, and Muslim values, explaining how personalised financial content can empower retail investors. The conversation also delves into entrepreneurship, risk-taking, and the transformative potential of AI in reshaping industries and faith-based engagement.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl.

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App

https://kestrl.io/

Show Notes:

00:00 – Opening

03:24 – From trading to founding: the key inspiration and leap into startups.

08:38 – Early challenges and successes: fundraising and building Zeed’s vision.

14:40 – Innovative AI applications: financial podcasts, broker calls, and content generation.

19:45 – Tackling AI challenges: hallucinations, bias, and delivering accurate personalization.

26:07 – How AI is reshaping finance and its potential impact on the Muslim world.

39:00 – Broader implications of AI: jobs, economics, and societal shifts.

52:56 – Zeed’s rebrand announcement and its future focus on empowering institutions.

Meet Youness Abidou, founder and CEO of Nester, a Sharia-compliant real estate investment platform in the UK. He shares insights on navigating the regulatory landscape, the challenges of Islamic finance, and his vision for addressing financial gaps in the Muslim community.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

00:00 - Coming up

02:17 - Introduction and banking career 

07:41 - Discovering Islamic Finance

12:25 - Community demand for Islamic Finance

18:29 - Meeting co-founder Mohammed Paracha.

24:40 - British Muslims’ problems and Nester as a solution

28:59 - Early days and teething problems 

32:28 - Islamic vs Ethical branding 

38:11 - How Nester works for businesses 

44:51 - How Nester raises money from the crowd

48:35 - Commodity Murabaha and controversy 

53:17 - Getting a new license just for Nester 

56:32 - Funding rounds and first transactions 

59:12 - Future plans, and expansion to Saudi Arabia.

1:06:07 - Thoughts on the state of Islamic finance and community needs.

1:11:44 - Youness’ vision for Nester’s legacy and community impact.

Meet Zaid Patel, owner of Highcastle Estates and host of The Muslim Pound Podcast.

In today’s Muslim Money Talk we discuss how and why property became such an attractive investment opportunity for Muslims, shariah compliant ways of growing a portfolio and whether property is still worth it as an investment?


This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

Show Notes:

00:00 - Coming up 

01:55 - Creating The Muslim Pound Podcast 

06:06 - Having a victim mentality 

10:28 - Why Muslims love property 

13:17 - The Rent-to-rent business model

20:55 - Family businesses and working with fathers

25:47 - Why don’t Pakistanis help each other?

29:40 - Making Masjids the hubs of communities

31:35 - How real estate agents work 

37:00 - Is buying in London still worth it?

45:04 - Buying vs renting and community building 

51:30 - Starting a Podcast and personal branding

01:02:54 - Favourite guests so far  

01:05:42 - Saudi Arabia’s booming property market

01:10:06 - Leaving a legacy

In this special podcast episode, Harris Irfan, a veteran in Islamic finance, critiques the industry for not adhering to its foundational principles and discusses innovative solutions for real-economy, risk-sharing financial instruments.

He emphasises the need for skills, innovation, and aligning modern Islamic finance practices with prophetic economic principles, while also advocating for Bitcoin as a freedom currency and discussing the future of Islamic fintech.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 - Coming Up 

02:13 – Haris’s career journey and contrarian perspective in Islamic finance.

06:12 – Challenges faced by Muslims in conventional finance and career advice.

08:28 – Analysis of the disconnect between demand and use of Islamic financial products.

12:50 – Early days at Deutsche Bank and innovation in Islamic finance.

16:50 – Transition from conventional banking to Islamic fintech and ethical dilemmas.

24:41 – Issues in Islamic banking culture and reverse engineering of conventional banking products.

30:31 – Role of fintechs in addressing gaps in Islamic finance.

39:58 – Introduction to Cordoba Capital Markets and the Profit Participating Note (PPN).

52:14 – Discussion on AOFI Standard 62 and its implications for Sukuk.

58:02 – Pakistan’s aim to eliminate riba by 2028 and Bitcoin as freedom money.

1:09:50 – The role of prophetic values in building a better economic system.

1:11:25 – Advice for aspiring Islamic fintech entrepreneurs.

In today’s episode we’re flipping the script and interviewing our host Areeb Siddiqui- the founder of Kestrl: The Muslim Money App!

Driven to leave the corporate world by his growing discomfort working around interest- Areeb discusses his MBA at Cambridge, inspiring stories about money from the Quran and Hadith, and why Muslims are so poor with money today.

Special thanks to Ali Siddiqui (Areeb’s brother) for stepping into the host’s seat this week!


This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

Show Notes: 

00:00 - Coming up 

02:02 - Intro

03:17 – From Physics to Finance

05:57 – The need to experiment 

07:14 - What you study doesn’t matter!

09:21 – Deloitte grad scheme 

13:30 - Islamic Finance at Deloitte

15:31 – Understanding salary bands and consulting culture

22:01 - Lessons from the du’a of Prophet Suleiman AS

28:52 - the Cambridge MBA: Should you do it?

32:57 - Finding a Co-founder and the inspiration for Kestrl

36:17 - Speaking to 3000 Muslims 

39:01 – Going full-time, fundraising and early business models 

48:35 - Tying your camel before you invest 

53:55 - Dark Days: Money struggles and becoming a dad 

56:33 – B2B partnerships, profitability and the blessing of children 

59:40 - Kestrl’s name and branding for Muslims 

1:03:57 – Using open banking for boycotting and upcoming features 

1:06:40 – A.I in Islamic finance 

1:11:08 – Money lessons from the first Muslims 

Meet Kazi Shafiqur Rahman, Co-founder of SunnaMusk and Firnas Airways,  as he shares his journey from being a cleaner at an airport to becoming a successful entrepreneur and airline owner. This conversation literally has it all, the ultimate highs and horrific lows of entrepreneurship, to the importance of family in business.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

TIMESTAMPS: 

00:00 - Coming Up 

01:55 – Introduction

04:48- Coming to the UK and early education

09:28 – Why Aviation? Working at the airport 

18:57 – Getting fired and working with family

24:00 - Making money vs. Religion 

26:27 - Learning how to do business 

29:46 - Becoming a serial entrepreneur 

35:20 - Starting Sunnamusk with brothers

38:58 - Consistency, consistency, consistency!

44:12 - Setting a Northstar and raising capital 

48:10 - Whitechapel market and the route to Westfield 

55:38 – Entering shopping malls and early success 

58:47- Pitching to Westfield mall and becoming a real brand 

01:06:47 – The Channel 4 documentary 

01:10:47 – Leaving Sunnamusk for the Firnas Airways 

01:18:19 - What happened to Firnas?

01:21:20 - Lessons learned 

01:26:49 – Conclusion and closing remarks

Meet Arfah Farooq, co-founder of Muslamic Makers and Muslim Tech Fest!

She shares her journey of community building, balancing family life, and the evolving role of Muslims in tech and entrepreneurship. This conversation explores the challenges of ambition, faith, and creating meaningful change while navigating societal and industry obstacles.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

Timestamp Breakdown:

00:00 - Intro 

03:04 - Origins of Muslamic Makers

05:22 - Founding Discoverables at University 

09:00 - Community Management as a career path 

12:02 - Building a community in Covid

18:15 - Considering leaving Muslamic Makers for family life 

21:10 - Founding Muslim Tech Fest 

24:52 - Celebrating Muslim Tech Talent

26:53 - Kestrl’s experience sponsoring MTF

29:50 - When to use a Branding Agency

32:29 - Deciding when to Monetise

36:14 - Leaving the VC industry due to Palestine 

41:48 - Deciding when to go full time on your start-up

44:42 - Does Diversity & Inclusion work?

48:31 - Losing sponsors due to pro-Palestinian stance

50:05- San Francisco vs. London

54:02 - Can Muslim Women balance careers and family?

57:55 - Can women really have it all? Dealing with maternity leave 

01:03:18 - Arfah’s legacy and hopes for the community

In this episode, Abdul Rahman Abbas, founder and CEO of the Pillars app, discusses building a privacy-focused Muslim prayer app and the entrepreneurial challenges and cultural dynamics Muslims face in the UK. He shares insights on bootstrapping vs. VC funding, the importance of community-oriented solutions, and his mission to foster an “abundance mindset” among Muslim entrepreneurs.

This podcast is powered by Kestrl. 

Kestrl is an app that helps Muslim to grow their wealth without compromising their beliefs 

Kestrl - The Muslim Money App 

https://kestrl.io/

Timestamp Breakdown:

00:00 - Intro 

02:32 – The inspiration for Pillars

05:31 – Building in Public on X (Twitter)

07:03 – Do people care about data privacy?

08:45 – How Pillars hit 1m+ users

13:18 – Balancing Medicine with Entrepreneurship

18:55 – Building infrastructure for Muslims (Prayer, Fiqh, Finance)

23:57 – Why did Abdul-Rahman become a doctor?

26:59 – The Bay Area vs. London mindsets

32:49 –Abundance vs. Scarcity mindsets in US/UK Muslims

37:42 – Female representation in Muslim Tech

39:27 – The Biggest Mistakes founders make

44:01 – Finding a co-founder

49:44 – Debate: VC funding vs. bootstrapping

55:21 – Impact of VC funding on growth and business focus

58:57 – Final thoughts on organic growth vs. VC-backed expansion

1:07:58 – Announcement: New premium features on Pillars app