Neo
NEO#149Neo is one of the oldest smart-contract blockchains, with NEO for governance and GAS for fees; its foundation faces a founder dispute over treasury control.
- Market cap
- $178.21M
- Volume 24h
- $9.94M
- All-time high
- —
- Circulating supply
- 70.54M
Passes our 8 Shariah criteria. Needs caution: excessive uncertainty (gharar).
- 7 pass
- 1 caution
- 0 fail
Verdict history
- HalalCurrent
First publication
Fundamentals, market picture and news will appear here.
Halal analysis
Can a Muslim hold Neo?8 Shariah criteria
7 pass · 1 caution · 0 failNEO earns GAS from block issuance, not from lending, but holders and voters receive it passively.
Riba is interest or any guaranteed increase on a loan. NEO has no lending function. New GAS is minted each block and shared: 10% to all NEO holders, 80% to holders who vote for elected committee members and 10% to the committee. Nobody borrows the NEO, so this is not interest on a loan, and the amount depends on block issuance and votes. Because holders earn it without running infrastructure or bearing slashing risk, the score is slightly below the maximum. Islamic Finance Guru rates NEO halal.
NEO is the governance token of a working blockchain.
This criterion asks whether the asset has real value as property (mal). NEO is required to elect the committee and block producers of Neo N3, a live network running since 2016 in earlier form. Islamic Finance Guru, the authoritative source, rates it permissible, so the general scholarly debate about crypto is reflected in confidence rather than this score.
NEO is a utility and governance token, not a game of chance.
Maysir is gambling: gaining or losing by chance rather than through productive exchange. NEO has no lottery or meme mechanics. Its price fell about 99% from its 2018 high, which is market risk, not gambling in the asset. The criterion is at the maximum.
The network earns fees in GAS, which are burned; no impermissible income is documented.
This criterion asks how the protocol earns. Users pay GAS fees, system fees are burned, and new GAS rewards committee members, voters and holders. No source shows interest-based or other impermissible revenue at protocol level, so the criterion is at the maximum.
Most of the foundation's native tokens sit in one founder's wallet without multi-signature control, and the co-founders are in an open dispute.
Gharar is excessive uncertainty or hidden information. Neo's supply and governance rules are public, but CoinDesk reported in April 2026 that about 85% of the treasury's native NEO and GAS were held in a personal wallet of co-founder Erik Zhang with no multi-signature protection, and that the treasury of about $460 million lacked formal oversight. Co-founder Da Hongfei proposed redistributing about 26 million NEO and 40 million GAS, while Zhang called for an investigation into past asset management.
With about 29.5 million NEO outside circulation and its fate undecided, the criterion is at caution.
NEO is used for governance and to earn GAS for network fees.
This criterion looks at what the asset is actually used for. NEO elects the committee and consensus nodes, and GAS pays for transactions and smart contracts. No impermissible primary use is documented, so the criterion is at the maximum.
Fully paid spot NEO is available on major exchanges and can be held in a self-custody wallet.
This criterion asks whether the asset can be owned in a permissible way. NEO trades spot on major exchanges and is a native coin that can be held in a self-custody wallet and used to vote. Ownership does not depend on derivatives or leverage, so the criterion is at the maximum.
Neo is a working open platform, but the founders' dispute includes allegations about past asset management.
Maslahah weighs benefit against harm. Neo has run an open smart-contract platform for years and keeps shipping upgrades. The score is slightly reduced because one co-founder has called for an investigation into possible improper transfers of foundation assets; the allegations are not proven, but they concern assets meant to serve the network.
How you can use it
Tap a card for the ruling and sourcesBuying NEO with full payment and immediate delivery is widely available, and the coins can be moved to a self-custody wallet. This is the clean way to own a HALAL-rated asset.
No NEO exchange-traded fund was found as of 1 October 2026. A product that holds NEO itself and does not lend it would be judged like spot; its structure would need to be checked.
NEO is a governance token and GAS pays network fees, which is a service payment, but neither is used as general money. Tier-1 bodies such as Indonesia's MUI rule that using cryptocurrency as currency is not permissible.
Neo has no staking with lock-up or slashing: holders earn GAS from block issuance for holding and voting. This is not interest on a loan, but it is passive; exchange products that promise a fixed return on NEO should be checked.
Margin trading in NEO is offered by some exchanges but is never acceptable: it is a deferred exchange with borrowed money and leverage (AAOIFI SS 20).
NEO futures and perpetuals are offered by derivatives exchanges, but futures, perpetuals and options always fail under AAOIFI SS 20: deferred exchange without delivery, usually with leverage.
Lending NEO through exchange or DeFi lending programmes pays depositors interest from borrowers. This is riba.
Yield products beyond native GAS rewards, such as exchange earn accounts or DeFi lending, may get their return from lending and must be checked; lending-based yield fails.
Scholars quotes
The opinion on this is the same as doing the same with any halal assets such as shares – 1) is permissible, 2) is more debatable and there are differing opinions on short-term trading.As I mentioned at the beginning of this article it is not necessary to substantiate the permissibility of something as long as there are no prohibited factors involved in it or surrounding it.Penggunaan cryptocurrency sebagai mata uang hukumnya haram, karena mengandung gharar (ketidakjelasan), dharar (bahaya) dan bertentangan dengan Undang-Undang nomor 7 tahun 2011 tentang Mata Uang dan Peraturan Bank Indonesia nomor 17 tahun 2015 tentang Kewajiban Penggunaan Rupiah di Wilayah Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia.Sebagaimana mata wang yang lain, mata wang digital hendaklah tidak digunakan sebagai bayaran kepada barangan, perkhidmatan dan aktiviti tidak patuh Syariah seperti pembelian dadah, pelacuran, perjudian dan pendanaan aktiviti keganasan serta penggubahan wang haram.The SAC has also resolved that investment and trading of Digital Assets that fulfil the above requirements and which are traded on Digital Asset Exchange (DAX) registered with SC are permissible.Third: In light of the above and given the significant risks associated with this type of currencies and the instability of their transactions, the Council of the Academy recommends pursuing research and studies on issues affecting its ruling.Bitcoin is a digital currency that does not meet the legal and Sharia criteria that make it a currency subject to the rulings of dealing with official legal currencies recognized internationally.بناءً على ذلك: فلا يجوز شرعًا تداول عملة "البتكوين" والتعامل من خلالها بالبيعِ والشراءِ والإجارةِ وغيرها، بل يُمنع من الاشتراكِ فيها؛ لعدمِ اعتبارِها كوسيطٍ مقبولٍ للتبادلِ من الجهاتِ المخُتصَّةِ، ولِمَا تشتمل عليه من الضررِ الناشئ عن الغررِ والجهالةِ والغشِّ في مَصْرِفها ومِعْيارها وقِيمتها، فضلًا عما تؤدي إليه ممارستُها من مخاطرَ عاليةٍ على الأفراد والدول.According to research and opinion of experts so far, cryptocurrency is not considered ‘ maal ’ (wealth) in Sharia.Muhammadiyah memandang transaksi dan investasi kripto pada dasarnya mubah (boleh) tetapi dengan syarat tertentu.Our current position is 'tawaquf'; we can't say it is halal or haram, but we say it is better not to engage in itAI-assisted analysis checked against sources. Not a fatwa or investment advice.
Where it trades
Section in preparation
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