The country’s first retail bond issuance should go live in Q1 2026 or even before the end of 2025, a senior government official told EnterpriseAM. The issuance will be accompanied by a promotional campaign to attract tempted investors, the source added.

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The bonds will be issued in partnership with Egypt Post, offering a competitive interest rate that will help keep pace with inflation, we were told. Variable returns will be paid out either every three or six months.

The Finance Ministry is eyeing middle-income individuals as its key target demographic for the product, but it is also eyeing Egyptian expats with EGP- and USD-denominated bonds that will be part of the market at some point.

SOUND SMART- A government-issued retail bond is debt that is sold directly from the government to individuals. Countries issue retail bonds like the US Savings Bonds and UK Premium Bonds as a way to borrow money from the public in exchange for interest payments or some other type of return. Unlike some other forms of debt, government-issued retail bonds are stable, predictable, and often cheaper, with the added benefit of being an effective monetary policy tool if need be.

Having a retail bond market will let individuals, non-professional investors — essentially, the public — buy and sell bonds. At present, it is only banks and financial firms that can buy up these loans from the government, which they often do in large, big-ticket transactions. Letting individuals join in will open up a practical and low-risk way to diversify investments and add more stable interest-paying assets to their portfolios.

But, arguably, what is more important is that it will significantly shake up the dynamics of the bond market, leading to an uptick in demand and liquidity, a more diverse and stable investor base that tends to buy and hold, and potentially lowering issuing costs for the government.

The Finance Ministry also has plans to launch new debt instruments in the primary markets — including sukuk, infrastructure bonds, and green bonds — in an attempt to broaden its investor base. The ministry is looking to issue USD 1.5 bn worth of long-term, low-cost green or sustainable bonds, according to the source.

The local debt market is highly attractive, given that Egypt offers real yields of about 7%, the source said, adding that these new issuances are expected to revitalize foreign investment flows into the local debt market.

In numbers- Foreign investors poured USD 25 bn into the local debt market last fiscal year, pushing the total amount of foreign holdings of our local debt to USD 40 bn, according to an official document seen by EnterpriseAM.

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