Good morning, friends, and happy Friday. We wish you a calm weekend and hope you enjoy the pleasant fall weather as much as we are.

In this week’s edition of the Enterprise Guide, we’re looking at all the questions to ask yourself and your children as they navigate the new school year, signs to look out for, and habits you should introduce.

🗞️ LAST WEEK IN 3 MINS-

ECONOMY-

Remittances rose 26.3% y-o-y to USD 3.8 bn in July, marking 17 consecutive months of y-o-y remittance growth, according to a statement from the Central Bank of Egypt. Over the first seven months of 2025, remittances are up 49.7% y-o-y to USD 23.2 bn.

ENERGY-

#1- The Madbouly government is looking to liberalize the natural gas market, by allowing multiple suppliers to make direct sales to private-sector customers, a government source told EnterpriseAM. The new system would give large industrial players the option to secure their gas needs through direct contracts with suppliers if they can land better prices or terms, we were told.

#2- The country’s very own USD 200 mn onshore regasification unit will begin operating in August 2027, a government source told EnterpriseAM. The unit will be set up at the idle Idku liquefaction facility in partnership with Shell and Petronas.

M&A WATCH-

Sawiris-backed Orascom Construction and OCI Global tee up a cross-border merger: Orascom Construction and OCI Global — both backed by Egyptian bn’aire Nassef Sawiris — are exploring a potential merger that would combine the Cairo-born contractor and the Dutch-listed fertilizer player to create a single global infrastructure and investment platform based out of and listed in Abu Dhabi.

IPO WATCH-

Dairy and juice manufacturer Healthy Group is looking into making its EGX debut through an IPO in the coming period as it looks to raise fresh funds to finance its expansion plans, CEO Kirellos Refaat (LinkedIn) told EnterpriseAM. The exact size of the stake to be offered will be determined once the company completes its studies.

TRADE-

#1- Egypt’s trade deficit rose 20.2% y-o-y in 2024 to record USD 50 bn, according to state statistics agency Capmas data. Exports rose 6.5% y-o-y to USD 45.3 bn, while imports climbed up 13.2% y-o-y to USD 95.3 bn.

#2- Some 601 exporters received EGP 368 mn in overdue receivables through the Export Development Fund, concluding the first tranche of the direct payment portion of the state’s mechanism to settle its owed export subsidy arrears, according to a statement from the Finance Ministry.

MANUFACTURING-

Chinese textile manufacturer Hengsheng has inaugurated its USD 70 mn textile technology plant in the Qantara West Industrial Zone, according to a cabinet statement. The 200k sqm factory will focus on dyeing, printing and finishing textiles, and is expected to create around 1.3k direct jobs once fully operational.

AUTOMOTIVE-

Car prices are seeing reductions of 10-20% on top of last month’s dip in prices as auto dealers look to reignite demand. Some industry experts expects the trend to persist until at least June 2026, saying the market will remain in flux until a pricing structure tied to real production costs is established.

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS-

France recognized Palestine at a UN summit in New York on Monday, joining the UK, Canada, Australia, and Portugal. Monaco, Malta, Luxembourg, and more countries have also declared support for Palestine. Despite the barrage of statements from Western countries, recognition changes little on the ground, with Gaza hospitals “days away from shutdown” and residents continuing to flee as Israeli tanks advance into the city center. (BBC | Guardian | CNN | Reuters | Axios)

ALL EYES ON TRUMP- The US president slapped a USD 100k toll on the American Dream for immigrants, unveiling the steepest hike yet for H-1B visas and rolling out a “Gold Card” residency scheme that lets mn’aires buy their way into the US. The new rules — which target the work permits used by Silicon Valley to hire foreign engineers and scientists — also allow companies to pay USD 2 mn per worker to sponsor them. (Bloomberg | Financial Times | Reuters | New York Times | Associated Press)

In a sharp shift from earlier comments urging territorial concessions, US President Donald Trump said that Kyiv could “win all of Ukraine back” shortly after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option,” Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social platform. (Reuters | Associated Press | Financial TImes | The Guardian | BBC)

IN MARKETS NEWS- Fed boss Jay Powell cooled Wall Street’s hopes for a rapid easing cycle, warning that while last week’s 25 bps cut took some pressure off the job market, moving too aggressively could leave the inflation fight unfinished. (Financial Times | CNBC | The Guardian | CNN | Reuters | Bloomberg)

OVER IN TECH- Nvidia will invest up to USD 100 bn in OpenAI in a potentialtransaction executives hailed as the “next leap forward” in artificial intelligence. If the transaction proceeds as planned, it would mark the largest-ever investment in a private company. (Bloomberg | Reuters | Guardian | BBC | CNBC | New York Times | Financial Times)

ALSO- Intel has held early talks with Apple about a potential investment as part of its comeback strategy. Such a deal would be symbolically powerful: Apple abandoned Intel’s processors in its Macs five years ago but has touted big plans for US manufacturing. (Bloomberg)

MEANWHILE- Super Typhoon Ragasa — this year’s strongest tropical cyclone yet — made landfall in southern China, after leaving at least 17 dead and dozens missing in Taiwan. Nearly 2 mn residents were evacuated as the storm continued to rage on. (BBC | CBS | Reuters | New York Times | CNN | Guardian)

☀️ THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND-

Good news, folks, we’re in for a cool, breezy weekend in the capital with temperatures set to peak at a sensible 31-32°C, before cooling down to 19°C, according to our favorite weather app.

🎙️HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND-

The Eazees International Women’s Theater Festival, honoring the late Samiha Ayoub and supporting all-women creative productions, kicked off yesterday, and will run until Friday, 3 October. The first showcase of the festival, happening on Saturday, will feature the play The Bloody Wedding at Falaki Mainstage Theater. Tickets are available on Ticketsmarché.

Foodies, unite: Cairo Food Week is back for its third edition. Running through Thursday, 2 October, prepare yourself for a culinary experience packed with tasting menus, masterclasses, and exhibitions. Tickets are going fast, with the most popular events already sold out. To grab what you can, head to Ticketsmarché.

You have another chance to see Tamer Ashour, who returns with yet another electrifying show at El Arena tonight. Get your tickets through Ticketsmarché.

Tamer Hosny and Disco Misr are set to light up the stage at Hacienda White’s Galambo tonight to close out the Sahel season. Head to Ticketsmarché now before tickets sell out.

Egyptian drill rapper Flex is hosting his album launch party at CJC 610 this Saturday. Catch him live for a high-energy night of rap. Grab your tickets now on Ticketsmarché.

🎙️HAPPENING NEXT WEEKEND-

In need of some comedy therapy? Join Mina Nader for an interactive show at Theatro Arkan on Friday, 3 October. Get ready for a night of laughter-packed stories. Tickets are selling out, so we’d suggest you move fast. Secure your spot now on Ticketsmarché.

Ready for another Indigo Night? On Friday, 3 October, Belgian-Egyptian singer Tamino Moharam Fouad is dropping by Cairo to perform his latest album Every Dawn’s a Mountain at the Cairo International Convention Center. Tickets can be purchased from Tamino’s own website.

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