The SME Development Authority is in talks with the World Bank for a USD 200 mn loan to finance new projects, authority head Nevine Gamea tells Amwal Al Ghad. The authority is expecting to reach a final agreement by year-end. We had noted last month that the government had approached the bank for a USD 200 mn loan focused on youth- and women-led SMEs. The authority is also in talks with Germany’s state-owned development bank KfW to provide a USD 100 mn loan to fund SMEs in the country, the authority’s planning head Tarek Shash said, according to Masrawy. The loan is expected to be disbursed in 2019.