The Egyptian investor’s guide to savings, CDs, and time deposits

🏦 The savings landscape has shifted over the past couple of years. For most of 2024 and into 2025, Egyptian banks were competing aggressively for deposits — a product of the Central Bank of Egypt’s aggressive rate-hiking cycle, which pushed overnight deposit rates to 27.25% at their peak. That era is winding down. The CBE has cut rates by 825 basis points since April 2025, bringing the overnight deposit rate to 19%. One-year certificates have largely disappeared as banks reposition for lower rates ahead — replaced by three-year products designed to lock in funding at a known cost before the easing cycle accelerates.

What that means for you: the exceptional one-year yields are gone. But what’s available now is still attractive if you prefer to play it safe, particularly if you move before the next cut. Banks are offering a slew of investment options, the government is out with its own savings product, and fintech platforms are now offering returns that rival traditional certificates of deposit without the lock-in.

If you’ve got money sitting idle and you’re still on the fence about where to put it, today’s edition of The Enterprise Guide is for you.

Certificates of deposit

Certificates of deposit (CDs) remain the most popular savings product in Egypt, and for good reason — they’re simple, bank-guaranteed, and offer predictable returns. Here’s where the best options currently sit:

#1- National Bank of Egypt (NBE): NBE’s flagship three-year Platinum Certificate currently pays 17.75% annually, disbursed monthly (or 17.85% quarterly). NBE also offers a variable-rate certificate currently yielding 19.25% annually (set at the CBE's overnight deposit rate + 0.25%), with a 17% floor. Minimum: EGP 1k.

SOUND SMART- A fixed certificate locks in today’s rate for the full three years. A variable certificate reprices with CBE decisions.

💡 You can find all of NBE’s CD options on their website or through the NBE banking app.

#2- Commercial International Bank (CIB): Egypt’s largest private-sector bank raised its three-year Premium CD to 18% fixed in July 2026, above the state banks’ equivalent fixed offering. For savers who prefer a private bank and want a competitive fixed rate without going variable, this is the strongest private-sector option currently on the market. Minimum: EGP 50k.

💡 You can find all of CIB’s CD options on their website or through the CIB banking app.

#3- Banque Misr (BM): BM’s Al Qimma three-year fixed certificate pays 17.75% monthly or 17.85% quarterly. Its standout product is the Ibn Misr Al Tholatheya Descending Certificate, which front-loads returns: 20.50% in year one, 16.25% in year two, and 12.25% in year three — a smart pick if you want higher early income. Its variable Al Tholatheya Certificate, linked to Conia (Cairo Overnight Index Average), averaged ~20.08% in July 2026. Minimum: EGP 500-1k depending on product.

💡 You can find all of BM’s CD options on their website by downloading the interest rates sheet.

#4- Banque du Caire (BDC): BDC’s Primo Affluent certificate offers 18.5% fixed annually — the highest fixed rate currently available from a private-sector bank, sitting half a percentage point above CIB’s 18% Premium CD. Minimum: EGP 1 mn.

💡 You can find all of BDC’s CD options on their website.

Beyond these options, most of the private banking market is tracking within a narrow band of the same product.

Time deposits

Unlike CDs, time deposits are more flexible — you can typically withdraw earlier without the same penalty structure — but they tend to offer lower returns. They suit savers who don’t want to commit for three years.

Most Egyptian banks currently offer EGP time deposits in the 14-17% range, depending on tenor and payout structure. Banque Misr’s savings accounts offer tiered rates by balance, while CIB’s 12-month time deposit pays up to 17% annually with a minimum of EGP 5k.

BDC also offers an 18-month time deposit that pays 22% at maturity — a higher headline return than any fixed three-year certificate currently available and a shorter commitment than the standard three-year lock-in. The trade-off is total illiquidity until the end: unlike a monthly-payout certificate, you see nothing until month 18.

Beyond banks

The Citizen Bond: Launched earlier this year, the Finance Ministry’s Citizen Bond offers a taxfree annual yield of 17.75%, paid out monthly over 18 months. It’s sold exclusively through Egypt Post branches in multiples of EGP 1k, with a minimum subscription of EGP 10k. The Citizen Bond sits in a sweet spot: higher yield than a typical savings account, shorter commitment than a three-year CD, and fully backed by the government. The catch is access. You’ll need to physically visit a post office and open an Egypt Post current account.

Thndr: Thndr’s Cloud Savings feature operates through an FRA-regulated money market fund and comes in two flavors. The Monthly Cloud offers up to 20% annually, while the Instant Cloud offers up to 19.5% with same-day liquidity. This is the most liquid of any option in this guide — you can move money in and out freely — at a rate that competes directly with three-year bank certificates. The trade-off: returns fluctuate with the fund’s performance and will move as CBE rates change.

Looking for more ways to save and invest beyond CDs, time deposits, and funds? Check out our four-part signature series, Money Matters, here.