<p>Red mud, an industrial byproduct containing metal oxides, is typically landfilled, posing environmental hazards like soil and water contamination. This study investigated the potential of red mud as a cost-effective bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction. Red mud samples from two different geographic locations were laser-annealed onto nickel foam substrates and their electrochemical activity was systematically evaluated and compared with benchmark electrocatalysts under alkaline conditions. The results showed that, sample RM2/NF demonstrated the lowest overpotential during oxygen evolution reaction at current densities of 10, 50, and 100 mA cm⁻², followed by the sample, RM1/NF. Specifically RM1/NF required 310 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm⁻², outperforming RM2/NF and benchmark IrO₂. For hydrogen evolution reaction, RM1/NF exhibited slightly higher activity than RM2/NF at lower overpotentials, needing only 125 mV to reach current density of 10 mA cm⁻². Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement indicated a lower charge transfer resistance for both electrodes. Chronoamperometric measurements showed that RM1/NF had limited stability during oxygen evolution reaction while RM2/NF maintained superior stability during hydrogen evolution reaction over extended periods. The enhanced electrocatalytic performance of the RM2/NF electrode highlights the potential of red mud as an effective electrocatalyst, likely due to its rich elementalcomposition including iron, aluminum, titanium, and vanadium.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>