Good morning, all. We have a brisk issue for you this morning to wrap up what has been a pretty busy week. Capital markets news leads the newswell after sources told us that the government plans to unveil a package of stock market incentives in a bid to boost investment flows. We also have an interview with Rosatom Egypt Country Director Murad Aslanov, which dives into the company’s Egypt operations and the latest on the Dabaa nuclear power plant.

PSA-

WEATHER- It’s another sunny day in Cairo, with a high of 29°C and a low of 18°C, according to our favorite weather app.

It’s more or less the same in Alexandria, which is in for a high of 27°C and a low of 17°C.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Tax services at your fingertips? The Madbouly government is preparing to launch a mobile application for tax services next January after obtaining the green light from the cabinet, a senior government source told EnterpriseAM. The platform will be part of the second package of tax facilities set to launch within weeks.

The details: The Finance Ministry commissioned state-owned fintech giant e-Finance to develop the new application, which will allow taxpayers access to all tax services instantly, streamlining procedures and limiting human interaction. Through the application, users will be able to submit declarations, upload documents, and pay taxes, according to the source.

What else can we expect from the second package of tax facilities? The new package is primarily focused on resolving issues experienced by the tax community when it comes to following the VAT Law by introducing new facilities and removing hurdles facing businesses. Last month, we spoke with Deputy Finance Minister for Taxes Sherif Al Kilani to learn more about the facilities — check out the interview here.

More digitization in the pipeline: The package will also include several digital services that allow tax compliance for foreign and local companies, according to the source.

#2- The government is in talks with Asian and European partners to process crude oil and gas shipments transiting the Suez Canal to boost utilization of the existing regasification and refining infrastructure, a government source told EnterpriseAM.

A solid infrastructure: The country has five floating storage and regasification units, three of which are in primary use, one shared with Jordan, a leased backup unit, and the onshore unit expected to begin operating in August 2027, the source added.

The reasoning: With LNG imports expected to dip over the next two years, the government is looking to keep refineries operating at full capacity, our source said.

The timeline? Egypt’s location gives it leverage to implement the strategy immediately, with more foreign interest expected once the pipeline connections with Cyprus are completed in 2027, according to our source.

Our coverage of the EnterpriseAM Egypt Forum 2025 continues. This year's forum was packed with actionable intelligence on the future of Egyptian business. To make sure you don't miss a thing, we launched the EnterpriseAM Forum Playback.

Every Thursday at 10am, you'll receive a special newsletter breaking down one key session — from the future of work to getting capital markets off life support. We’ll also drop a companion podcast in our EnterpriseAM Egypt feed so you can listen on the go.

In today’s issue: We'll revisit our discussion on stage about what AI will — and will not — do to businesses in Egypt and beyond, with CTO of MNT-Halan Ahmed Mohsen, Managing Director and CEO of Contact Financial Holding John Saad, and Co-Founder of Wondercraft Youssef Rizk.

Want more? We're soft launching our YouTube channel where we've dropped video highlights.

HAPPENING TODAY-

It’s decision time once again for the central bank’s Monetary Policy Committee, which is set to meet today to decide whether to cut or hold interest rates steady. Easing rates is the long-term objective and direction of travel, but analysts are split on which way the bank will go this time round following fuel price hikes that broke the country’s four-month disinflation streak.

Four out of the 11 analysts surveyed by EnterpriseAM expect a 50-100 bps rate cut, while five see policymakers leaving rates unchanged, and the remaining two are undecided, saying their decision depends on how inflation and policy priorities evolve.

Another vote for a hold: CI Capital’s Monsef Morsy is among those expecting the CBE to keep rates as is, telling EnterpriseAM “we expect the CBE to temporarily pause its monetary easing cycle and keep rates on hold in today’s meeting.” October’s uptick in inflation supports a pause, he said, adding that keeping rates unchanged “would also help the CBE assess the full impact of previous rate cuts on monetary indicators.” Morsy noted that this aligns with global uncertainty, including “rising doubts in the market regarding the Fed’s upcoming decision on interest rates and the momentum of future cuts.”

Where rates stand — at least for now. The overnight deposit rate is currently at 21.00%, the overnight lending rate at 22.00%, and the main operation and discount rates at 21.50%.

HAPPENING TOMORROW-

The star-studded Egypt’s Entrepreneur Awards will take place tomorrow at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The event will celebrate leading entrepreneurs across several sectors, with a guest list that includes ministers, business leaders, and regional innovators.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

The international press is dominated by Nvidia’s stronger-than-expected earnings, which helped lift the S&P 500 after four straight days of losses. In Washington, US President Trump ended months of resistance by signing a bill requiring the release of the Epstein files.

Nvidia reported stronger-than-expected earnings, reporting 3Q revenue up 62% to USD 57 bn and net income of USD 31.9 bn, and lifting its outlook for 4Q to about USD 65 bn — comfortably above analyst estimates. CEO Jensen Huang pushed back on talk of an AI bubble, saying “There’s been a lot of talk about an AI bubble. From our vantage point, we see something very different.” (Reuters | CNBC | The Financial Times | The New York Times | Bloomberg)

Nvidia’s earnings offered a temporary reprieve to investors after days of mounting anxiety over whether AI trade had overheated, with the S&P 500 breaking a four-day run of declines, though down more than 1% for the week. (CNBC | Reuters)

Across the Atlantic, the EU moved to dial back its long-running crackdown on Big Tech, unveiling a “digital package of simplification” aimed at easing rules on AI and privacy and potentially eliminating cookie-consent pop-ups (Semafor)

AND- US President Donald Trump signed a bill to release the files related to Jeffrey Epstein — a sharp reversal after months of a fight that exposed deep rifts within his own party. (The Associated Press | CNBC | Reuters | CNN | The New York Times | Bloomberg)

Closer to home, Israel intensified airstrikes across southern Lebanon, killing at least one person as it continues near-daily operations to prevent Hezbollah from rearming. This coincides with escalating violence in Gaza, where Israeli bombardments killed at least 25 Palestinians, threatening the fragile truce could unravel. (Reuters | CNN | The New York Times | Bloomberg)

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