Malaysian Government to Partner With Korean Lab for Developing Sharia-Compliant Blockchain

IncuBlock, a South Korean Blockchain lab has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with a Malaysian Government Advisory Committee for Blockchain tech development, permissible under Sharia law. It was reported by a local news outlet, IT World, on June 18.

Blockchain tech is already been used in tracking halal foods, a UK-based halal trail, which has begun using blockchain to track livestock and fresh food from farm to table through the halal food chain.

Majlis Perundingan Melayu (MPM), the Malaysian Committee, will work with both IncuBlock and MPM’s international partner, Global Cornerstone Group to share knowledge and developing a Blockchain platform, and a decentralized application (DApp), which would meet all the “social requirements” to be considered by the Sharia Commission.

Kwon Won-seon, the CEO of IncuBlok, said that the company’s experience with Blockchain will be an asset to the collaboration and added:

“I will make a great effort to utilize the know-how of the Blockchain we have accumulated over the years to develop the Islamic Blockchain platform practically.”

Cryptocurrency’s place in Islamic banking and whether it can be considered halal, cannot be answered simply. This is because Bitcoin (BTC) is not concretely defined as money according to Islam.

In April, a fintech startup of Indonesia, released a report stating that Bitcoin is at least “generally permissible”, under Sharia law, noting the crypto’s wide acceptance, lack of control by a central authority, and reliance on Blockchain could make it more secure than current financial systems. The report concluded by warning the Islamic community to be wary of Initial Coin Offering (ICO) scams preying on Muslims that promote fixed returns as a “halal investment”.

Dato Hassan Binhmad, Chairman of the Malaysian Government Advisory Committee (MPM), said in regards to the MOU that he hopes the collaboration will “lead to the development of Blockchain technology that will be led by Malaysia and be used throughout the Islamic community.”