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Monday, 19 January 2026
The road to hub status.
Good morning, friends, and happy Monday to you all. Just like yesterday, we have a busy issue for you this morning.
Hub status loading: The Oil Ministry is preparing for its latest steps to position Egypt as a regional energy hub. Meanwhile, the government is looking into a plan to set up a gold refinery in hopes that it will help position us as a regional gold hub.
Today at a Glance
Podcasts
Morning Drive is your daily download of the essential headlines shaping Egypt. Hosted by ‘Synthetic Salma’ — an AI-powered version of Executive Editor Salma El-Saeed.
PlaylistListen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Investment Watch
M&A Watch
Explore EnterpriseAM for your industry
A close look at key activities driving headlines across industries
Privatization Watch
Gov’t to end privatisation hiatus with two companies set to debut on EGX next month
Good afternoon, folks, and happy hump day. Today’s issue brings…
Privatization to pick up steam in 1Q 2026 as stock market incentive package nears completion
The exact dates are still being finalized, taking into account the year-end close and the rollout of the new stock market incentive…
Newsmakers
Everything you need to know about Thndr’s plans ahead of its regional expansion
Thndr is now in the UAE, eyeing KSA, and is launching its own real estate fund in Egypt
My Morning Routine
Generosity from Canada + network quality awards for Vodafone Egypt
Plus: Vodafone Egypt gets another award for network quality
Spotlight
Regulation
Legislation Watch
House approves in principle cabinet’s bill seeking to amend Education Law
The Education Committee previously approved amendments to the Education Law…
Regulation Watch
El Sisi shuffles central bank board, appointing three new subject-matter experts
Sherif Kamel, Ali Faramawy retain seats for another year
Cabinet Watch
Garghoub is now a Special Economic Zone — here is what that means for investors
Plus: A major overhaul at GOEIC to slash customs times
Ittihadiya
El Sisi calls for review of recent parliamentary elections
The move could potentially see the NEA fully or partially…
Startup Watch
Knot Technologies looks to expand its efforts to kill the event ticket resale black market with USD 1 mn pre-seed round
Fans often end up paying “10 times the price, 100 times the price” on the black market for tickets
Meet Tribe founder Roba El Gindy
“Tribe is the village that it takes to raise a child”
Meet Farah Abdelhamid, founder of FforFarah
While she is often referred to as founder and creative director, Farah Abdelhamid calls…
Industries
Banking
The CBE is taking a tougher stance on regulation
Last summer, HSBC paid the CBE a EGP 1.4 bn…
Finance
Futures trading to land on the EGX in March
Futures contracts will first debut on the EGX30 before eventually…
Capital Markets
Trading volume could become the new currency for EGX tax breaks
Companies will be put on a sliding scale, with the…
Fintech
FRA approves GRANITE’s planned multi-currency fixed-income fund
GRANITE is also getting ready to launch fully digital money…
Climate
We’re tackling the missing piece in our renewables strategy: Batteries
Without a real focus on energy storage, Egypt’s efforts to…
Automotive
New tariff plan aims to tip the scales in favor of local EV assembly
But while full exemptions for EVs may soon be a…
Commodities
Why gold is still a structural hedge for Egyptian households
Until the EGP can compete with the psychological security of…
Energy
Oil Ministry is working overtime to ensure we see an uptick in natgas production
The ministry is launching two international exploration tenders this year
Infrastructure
Gov’t to relaunch stalled water desalination PPPs in December
The tender’s first batch will include two to four water…
Manufacturing
More Chinese players make a home out of SCZone
The projects include two solar component factories
Mining
Egypt to host a pan-African gold bank under MoU with Afreximbank
Good morning, friends, and happy new year. It’s been a…
Monday, 19 January 2026
Good afternoon, friends.
It’s a calm Monday, with the news cycle seemingly taking a breather. The showdown between Trump and the EU is still dominating global headlines, and at home, we’re taking a look at the IMF’s revised growth forecast for Egypt’s real GDP. Also today: we’re checking out Maadi’s latest climbing gym, and telling you if the new Game of Thrones spin-off show is worth your time.
Today at a Glance
Friday, 16 January 2026
Good morning, friends, and welcome to the weekend.
It’s been a busy week — from a looming US visa freeze to Egypt’s CBAM reprieve and a potential Eurobond issuance. We’ve got the full rundown below.
And if you’re looking to stay cozy indoors this weekend, we’ve put together a guide to short reads you can finish in a single sitting.
