Good afternoon, friends, and welcome to the start of a fresh new workweek. We’re seeing a calm start to the news cycle this week, matching pace with our last run of issues.

THE BIG STORY TODAY-

📍 Newly listed companies could soon enjoy a three-year exemption from taxes on income from IPOing the company under a set of incentives to encourage trading activity and IPOs on the EGX that is currently being studied by the Finance Ministry and the Financial Regulatory Authority, a government source told EnterpriseAM. The soon-to-be announced incentives will be put into law during 1H 2026 with the recently unveiled second package of tax facilities after the proposals get the necessary regulatory approvals, we were told.

The exemption will be tied to achieving quantifiable performance indicators, including trading volumes, capex, and expansion plans. Companies may also qualify for another three years of the exemption, based on growth and other indicators.

The proposals also include an exemption from tax on gains for holding companies arising from sales of stakes in Egyptian subsidiaries under certain conditions, as well as from income generated from the sale of unlisted shares.

** Want to find out more about these and the other incentives included in the plan? Stay tuned for tomorrow’s issue of EnterpriseAM, which will have the full rundown of what to expect from the upcoming announcement.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

🌐 Hours after peace talks between US and Ukrainian negotiators in Florida ended, overnight Russian strikes targeted Kremenchuk, a major industrial hub in central Ukraine. The extent of the damage remains unclear, with utilities, including water, heat, and electricity, cut. No deaths have been reported thus far. (BBC | Reuters)

MEANWHILE- Japan claimed that Chinese fighter jets directed fire-control radar at a Japanese military aircraft near the Okinawa islands, essentially training their radars on Japanese jets. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi noted that the country would respond “resolutely and calmly.” China, however, denied the incident in its entirety, adding that Japan’s claims were “inconsistent with the facts.” The incident comes amid already-rising tensions between both countries. (Reuters | CNN | New York Times)

AND- Military coup gone wrong? A military coup attempt announced earlier this morning in West African nation Benin has reportedly been “foiled” hours following the matter, according to the country’s Interior Minister Alassane Seidou. Announced by a group of soldiers on state television, the coup allegedly dissipated after “the Beninese Armed Forces and their leadership, true to their oath, remained committed to the republic,” Seidou said. (CNN | ABC | NBC | Reuters)

enterprise

*** It’s Inside Industry day — your weekly Sunday briefing of all things industrial in Egypt. Inside Industry explores what it takes to turn Egypt into a manufacturing and export powerhouse, ranging from initial investment and planning through to product distribution, land allocation, industrial processes, supply chain management, labor, automation and technology, inputs and exports, and regulation and policy.

In today’s issue: We’re taking a look at the government’s new — and existing — financing initiatives for local industry.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- We hope your winter wardrobe is ready, because we’re in for a cool — and potentially rainy — day in Cairo tomorrow. Temperatures are set to peak at just 22°C before cooling down to 14°C, according to our favorite weather app.

Tags: