Is iExec RLC (RLC) Halal or Haram?
SUMMARY
iExec RLC is a utility token for a decentralized confidential computing network. The project operates a permissible DePIN marketplace with no exposure to interest or gambling, and 100% of execution fees go directly to resource providers. The token is Halal to hold and use for its intended network functions.
Verdict by Activity
How you can hold and use RLC
Buy & Hold
Buying and holding RLC is permissible as it is a utility token for a decentralized cloud computing network with no inherent haram mechanics.
Liquidity Provision
OptionalUsers can provide liquidity to the RLC/ETH pool on Uniswap V3, which is scholar-debated due to pooled assets and impermanent loss.
Shariah Component Breakdown
Shariah Analysis
Infrastructure — where it runs
PassedThe token operates on Ethereum and Arbitrum, which are neutral, general-purpose networks.
Application — what it does
PassedThe project provides a decentralized marketplace for confidential cloud computing, with no exposure to interest, gambling, or haram industries.
Asset — what you own
PassedThe token's primary utility is paying for computing resources and acting as a security deposit for workers. The opt-in liquidity provision yield is a secondary feature.
Property Status (Māl)
PassedRLC is an established, self-custodial native protocol position with a fixed supply, no freeze functions on the L1 contract, and genuine utility in the network.
Revenue Purity
Passed100% of task execution fees are distributed to providers with no haram revenue identified. Treasury interest exposure is unknown but does not affect token revenue purity.
Legitimacy & Security
whitepaper
PassedOfficial documentation and tokenomics are publicly available and verified.
project audits
PassedThe protocol's smart contracts have been audited by reputable firms including ChainSecurity.
social presence
PassedThe project maintains an active presence with regular updates and a long-standing history since 2017.
Team & Ecosystem
team background
PassedThe project is led by a public team with a long-standing track record in Web3 confidential computing.
Detailed Shariah Report
iExec is a decentralized marketplace and toolkit that allows users to rent computing power and process data privately through confidential cloud computing. Its native token, RLC, is used to pay for these computing resources, access protected datasets, and act as a security deposit for workers processing tasks on the network.
The verdict to permit this asset is based on a three-layer Shariah screen evaluating its infrastructure, application, and the asset itself; a failure at any single layer would fail the whole asset. First, RLC operates primarily on Ethereum and Arbitrum, which are neutral, general-purpose networks; hosting other people's applications on these networks does not taint the native asset. Second, the underlying business activity is a permissible decentralized physical infrastructure network (DePIN) for confidential cloud computing, with no inherent exposure to interest (riba), gambling (maisir), or haram industries. Third, RLC qualifies as recognized digital property (Mal) because it is an exclusive, protocol-recognized right of control that presently exists on-chain, has an ascertainable fixed supply, is transferable via self-custody, and carries a genuine lawful use treated as wealth by its users. Therefore, buying and holding RLC is Halal. However, the opt-in mechanism for providing liquidity to the RLC/ETH pool on Uniswap V3 is considered Doubtful, as scholars debate the permissibility of such pooled assets and the mechanics of impermanent loss. Note that the protocol's native staking mechanism is simply a locked security deposit for workers to ensure honest behavior during task execution, not a yield-generating investment.
- The core business of providing a decentralized marketplace for confidential cloud computing is a permissible utility.
- 100% of task execution fees are distributed directly to app providers, data providers, and workers, with no haram revenue identified.
- The token's primary utility as a payment method and a security deposit for network workers is Shariah-compliant.
- The underlying L1 smart contract is immutable and does not contain freeze or blacklist functions, ensuring true self-custody.
- !Users can opt into providing liquidity on Uniswap V3 to earn trading fees and treasury-funded rewards, an activity that carries a Doubtful Shariah status due to pooled asset mechanics.
- !The composition of the project's treasury and its potential exposure to interest-bearing fiat accounts is unknown. While this does not directly impact the purity of the RLC token itself, it is a factor for scrupulous investors to monitor.
- !While the native L1 Ethereum contract is immutable, cross-chain bridged versions of the token (such as those using the new LayerZero ERC-7802 architecture) are upgradeable, which introduces a minor centralization risk.
Simply holding and using RLC for its intended network functions requires no purification, as the protocol's revenue comes entirely from permissible computing fees and no impure income reaches the token holder. Purification would only be applicable if an investor actively opts into external yield-generating activities, such as liquidity provision on Uniswap, where the specific returns would need to be evaluated and purified independently.
iExec RLC is a utility token powering a decentralized cloud computing marketplace with clear, permissible use cases and no inherent exposure to interest or gambling. Buying, holding, and using the token for its intended network services is Halal, as it successfully passes the three-layer Shariah screen and qualifies as recognized digital property. However, scrupulous investors should exercise caution regarding opt-in liquidity provision features, and as always, final religious authority rests with a qualified Shariah scholar.
How this verdict was reached
This is not an opinion issued by ShariaQuant. It is the output of a documented screening methodology applied to researched facts about iExec RLC (RLC), and every row above states the specific evidence that drove it — so the reasoning can be examined rather than taken on trust.
The framework screens three layers — the infrastructure an asset runs on, the application it serves, and the asset itself — and separately tests whether the token qualifies as recognised property (māl): that it presently exists, has an ascertainable supply, can be held and transferred, and carries a genuine lawful use. A failure at any single layer fails the asset.
Revenue-purity thresholds follow the AAOIFI screening standard: non-compliant income below 5% of revenue is tolerated and purified, while 5% or above fails the screen.
The framework follows published scholarship rather than in-house opinion. Treating a digital asset as a right (ḥaqq) that becomes recognised property (māl) only on stated conditions follows “Is Crypto Halal? The Definitive Shariah Guide to Crypto and Digital Assets” by Mufti Faraz Adam (Amanah Advisors, 2026), which reproduces the conditions identified by Mufti Taqi Usmani. Financial thresholds follow the AAOIFI screening standard. The rulings we track are collected in the fatwa library.
AAOIFI has not reviewed, approved or endorsed this report or ShariaQuant, and no scholar named in our methodology has reviewed this individual verdict. This is analysis, not a fatwa — final religious authority rests with a qualified scholar.
This is an AI research platform and the screening engine is under active development. We keep improving how facts are gathered and checked, and a report is re-issued in full when an asset is screened again rather than amended in place.
Is iExec RLC a serious project?
Permissible is not the same as good. This is the research behind that second question — what iExec RLC is actually for, who is paying for it, what is already built, and what would have to go wrong.
Research on the project, not advice on the trade. A high fundamental score is not a recommendation to buy, and it says nothing about whether the asset is permissible — that is the Shariah verdict, and it is free.
How iExec RLC ranks against its peers
The Shariah verdict tells you whether you may own iExec RLC. This tells you what you would be holding — measured from market data, with no AI judgment in it, and compared only against assets of the same kind.
A ranking of how solid an asset is against its peers, not a forecast of what it will do next and not investment advice. A permissible asset can rank badly, and a badly ranked asset can still rise.
Asked alongside this
Short answers from the ShariaQuant team.
All answersKnowing it passes is the easy half
iExec RLC passing the screen does not tell you how to buy it without leverage, how much of your portfolio it should be, or when to sell. The free module covers the fiqh those decisions rest on.
Both are free. The module includes the community — no card required.