EXPANSION-

El Attal Holding eyes Saudi, Omani markets: Local real estate developer El Attal Holding plans to build 800-1.2k residential units in a new compound north of Riyadh targeting upper-middle income buyers in cooperation with the Saudi National Housing Company, Chairman Ahmed El Attal told Asharq Business. The company also plans to enter the Omani market with a 2.5k-unit project in Muscat spanning 600k sqm, featuring villas and townhouses.

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STARTUP WATCH-

#1- Digital logistics platform Nowlun raised an additional USD 600k from Africa-focused VC Ingressive Capital, bringing its previously announced seed round to USD 2.3 mn, the home-grown startup said in a statement last week. The additional funding will fund AI integration, including a “powerful logistics assistant for ocean freight shippers across MENA and Africa” that will help simplify processes, minimize overheads, and better coordinate trade in the region.

#2- Breaking down SME policy in Egypt: The OECD is out with a study looking into SME andEntrepreneurship Policy in Egypt (pdf), where it noted that while “there is strong potential to boost MSME and entrepreneurship performance by supporting formalisation, scaling and diversification,” regulatory bottlenecks and informal market dominance continue to constrain growth.

Key takeaways: The OECD stressed that “lowering the cost of regulatory compliance can significantly enhance the business environment for MSMEs and entrepreneurs.” It also flagged the need for better coordination across government entities, stating “there is considerable scope to increase alignment and coordination in the design and implementation of MSME and entrepreneurship policy.”

REAL ESTATE-

#1- Egypt to offer fresh plots west of Cairo to local, Gulf investors: The Housing Ministry has allocated EGP 8 bn to develop the infrastructure of an 11k-feddan plot in Sixth of October ahead of offering it to Egyptian and Gulf investors, Asharq Business reports. The plot — which will be divided into three separate projects — will house residential and commercial developments. The ministry will start accepting offers once the infrastructure developments are completed.

#2-Madinet Masr’s fractional real estate investment platform Safe has processed transactions totaling nearly EGP 300 mn in inventory value in six months, according to a statement (pdf) from the local developer. CEO Abdallah Sallam says the transactions’ rate “confirms the market’s appetite for innovative, secure, and flexible investment models that respond to the evolving needs of today’s investors.” More than 3.5k investors are receiving monthly rental yields from their investments, with annual average returns standing at 10%.

COMMODITIES-

Egypt is on track to reach sugar self-sufficiency by 2026, according to a cabinet statement. Raw sugar imports fell 54.5% y-o-y in 1Q 2025, while the total area dedicated to sugar beet cultivation rose around 25% to 750K feddans during the current fiscal year. The government now has a 13-month strategic reserve of sugar.

M&A WATCH-

Bringy acquires HealthTag: Cairo-based digital ins. broker Bringy has acquired healthtech platform HealthTag in a bid to expand affordable healthcare services across MENA, according to a joint statement (pdf). The acquisition will allow HealthTag — a platform that offers low-cost, tech-enabled access to essential medical services for individuals without formal ins. coverage — to “further its mission of medical inclusion.”

What they said: “This acquisition reflects our commitment to reshaping access to healthcare across underserved communities,” said Bringy Board Member Mohamed Elnawawy. HealthTag CEO Andrew Saad — who joined Bringy’s board as part of the acquisition — added that the acquisition will pave the way “to scale affordable healthcare solutions and reach the mns left behind by traditional systems.”

NBFS-

The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) approved licenses and fintech services for eight companies, according to a statement from the authority. Valify Solutions and Contact Creditech were cleared to use digital tools for contract execution, client verification, and record management in non-banking financial services. Telda Holding received a license to operate as a custodian, while Thndr and Naeem Holding were approved to manage investment funds. The FRA also greenlit the establishment of Digital Banker Holding and Business Community Holding to help issue securities and increase company capital. In addition, the authority allowed GlobalCorp to add mortgage finance to its services.

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