Canadian Halal Investor.

NYSE Shariah screener · October 2026

Is MSCI Inc. (MSCI) Halal?

PASS

MSCI Inc. · NYSE: MSCI · Financials

The short answer

Yes - MSCI Inc. (MSCI) passes this Shariah stock screen. Its business (index licensing, portfolio analytics, ESG and climate data, private-assets data) is a data-and-analytics business with no prohibited lines, and it is not a lender. Interest-bearing debt of $6.38B is about 16.37% of its ~$38.98B market cap ($545.39/share, Oct 2, 2026), under the ~33% ceiling, and H1 2026 interest income of $5.3M is about 0.31% of revenue ($1,717.8M), under the 5% non-compliant income ceiling (FY2025: $16.0M / $3,134.5M = 0.51%). Zoya covers MSCI and rates it Shariah-compliant under its AAOIFI methodology, reporting the same $16,012,000 interest income figure - no Musaffa or ShariaPortfolio rating was found, honestly reported as absent, not invented. This is a factual screen, not a religious ruling - consult a qualified scholar for personal guidance.

Gate 1 — Business activity: PASS

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI) is a global provider of investment decision-support tools and services for institutional investors, asset managers, wealth managers, banks and other financial institutions. Its segments are Index (global indexes used to benchmark portfolios and underlie ETFs and other index-based strategies), Analytics (portfolio analytics, risk-management tools, performance measurement), ESG and Climate (ESG research and climate analytics), and Private Assets / Private Capital Solutions (real-assets and private-markets data and solutions). MSCI sells data, indexes and analytics - it is not a lender, bank or insurer, and none of the disclosed lines are prohibited lines (no alcohol, gambling, pork, conventional banking/insurance, tobacco, cannabis, or adult entertainment). Gate 1 passes. Facts only.

Gate 2 — Debt and cash: PASS

At June 30, 2026 MSCI's interest-bearing debt was $6,380.4M of long-term debt (senior unsecured notes; no current portion disclosed in the SEC XBRL filings, consistent with the FY2025 earnings release's $6.2B total principal amount of debt outstanding). Against a market cap of about $38.98B ($545.39 per share, October 2, 2026 Finnhub quote), debt / market cap is about 16.37%, under the ~33% ceiling. Cash and cash equivalents of $356.4M are about 0.91% of market cap, within the ~33% guideline. Gate 2 passes. Facts only.

Gate 3 — Non-compliant income: PASS

Interest income was $5.3M for the six months ended June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026 10-Q, filed July 21, 2026), per SEC XBRL data, against revenue of $1,717.8M - about 0.31% of revenue, under the 5% non-compliant income limit (Q2 alone: $2.5M / $867.0M = 0.29%). For full-year 2025 (10-K, filed February 6, 2026) the figures were $16.0M interest income against $3,134.5M revenue - about 0.51%, also under 5%. Gate 3 passes. Facts only.

Key figures used

Frequently asked questions

What does MSCI do?

MSCI Inc. (NYSE: MSCI) is a global provider of investment decision-support tools and services for institutional investors, asset managers, wealth managers, banks and other financial institutions. Its segments are Index (its global indexes are used to benchmark portfolios and underlie ETFs and other index-based strategies), Analytics (portfolio analytics, risk-management tools, performance measurement), ESG and Climate (ESG research and climate analytics), and Private Assets / Private Capital Solutions (real-assets and private-markets data and solutions). MSCI sells data, indexes and analytics - it is not a lender, bank or insurer.

Why does MSCI pass this Shariah stock screen?

MSCI passes all three gates of this screen. Its business - indexes, analytics, ESG and climate data, and private-assets data - has no prohibited lines (no alcohol, gambling, pork, conventional banking or insurance, tobacco, cannabis, or adult entertainment), so the business gate passes. Interest-bearing debt of $6.38B is about 16.37% of its ~$38.98B market cap, under the ~33% ceiling, so the financial-structure gate passes. Interest income of $5.3M is about 0.31% of H1 2026 revenue of $1,717.8M, under the 5% non-compliant income ceiling, so the income gate passes. This is a factual screen, not a religious ruling - consult a qualified scholar for personal guidance.

What is MSCI's interest-bearing debt ratio?

At June 30, 2026 MSCI's interest-bearing debt was $6,380.4M of long-term debt (senior unsecured notes; no current portion disclosed in the SEC XBRL data, consistent with the FY2025 earnings release's $6.2B total principal amount of debt). Against a market capitalization of about $38.98B ($545.39 per share, October 2, 2026 Finnhub quote), debt / market cap is about 16.37%, under the ~33% ceiling. Cash and cash equivalents of $356.4M are about 0.91% of market cap, well within the ~33% guideline. The financial-structure gate passes.

What is MSCI's non-compliant income ratio?

For the six months ended June 30, 2026 (Q2 2026 10-Q, filed July 21, 2026), MSCI reported interest income of $5.3M against revenue of $1,717.8M - about 0.31% of revenue, under the 5% non-compliant income ceiling (Q2 alone: $2.5M / $867.0M = 0.29%). For full-year 2025 (10-K, filed February 6, 2026), interest income was $16.0M against revenue of $3,134.5M - about 0.51%, also under 5%. The income gate passes.

Do Zoya, Musaffa, or ShariaPortfolio cover MSCI?

Zoya covers MSCI (zoya.finance/stocks/msci) and rates it Shariah-compliant under its AAOIFI methodology, reporting interest income of $16,012,000 on revenue of $3,134,459,000 (0.51%) for FY ended December 31, 2025 - figures that match the SEC XBRL data used here. No MSCI rating was found on Musaffa or ShariaPortfolio - honestly reported as absent, not invented. This page applies the screen directly from the company's SEC filings: the Q2 2026 10-Q and the FY2025 10-K (both via SEC XBRL).

Sources

Screened 2026-10-02 from published company figures and market data. Figures change; this page is educational, not financial advice and not a religious ruling.

Screened with our two-gate Shariah screening methodology (business-activity gate, then AAOIFI-style financial ratios).