Gov’t targets 100% exports with new service freezones

Good morning, friends. We have a (quietly) important regulatory story leading the issue today.

The CBE tightened oversight of how commercial banks interact with non-banking lenders, and they moved ahead of a debate growing around market-based finance. An April circular has barred banks from granting or renewing credit to NBFIs unless those firms are fully coded with the CBE and reporting to I-Score.

We also dive into: The government carving out a dedicated class of freezones strictly for service startups. Recent electricity tariff hikes are already doing real work in the lighting market. And the IFC is loaning Sawiris-backed Nile Sugar Company USD 40 mn.

ICYMI- Eyes on the prize: Read our exclusive interview with Baraka Optics Chairman and CEO Ahmed Ragab on yesterday’s news that regional giant Magrabi Retail will acquire 51% of the homegrown optical group. The transaction will bring together two of the country’s biggest eyewear family businesses under a single corporate umbrella, with roughly 50 stores nationwide.

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WISH THIS MORNING’S ISSUE was a podcast? We’ve got you. Tap or click here to listen to Morning Drive, a 10-minute version of today’s issue crafted for you to enjoy with your morning coffee, while getting the kids ready for school, or while stomping around the house wondering where the [redacted] you left your [redacted] reading glasses.

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Freezones for service startups

Service startups are getting a dedicated class of freezones, and all new freezone licenses are subject to a strict 100% export mandate going forward, Investment Minister Mohamed Farid and Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk said during a seminar attended by EnterpriseAM yesterday.

Why it matters: The move builds on a previous policy which only allowed service startups to operate within existing general freezones. The new amendments will provide the legislative framework for the new service-only freezone category, giving them a dedicated status and access to tax and customs incentives.

DATA POINT- USD 7.4 bn — that’s how much Egypt’s digital exports reached in 2025, up from USD 3.3 bn the year before, driven by outsourcing services revenues increasing to USD 4.8 bn for the year.

The Investment Ministry is also close to launching the country’s first services export council, Farid said. Its initial focus will be on scaling and exporting educational, training, and outsourcing services to capture regional demand and draw a larger pipeline of international students.

Hurghada Airport on the privatization runway

The Madbouly government will select the winning bidder to manage and operate Hurghada International Airport by July, the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Egypt Country Head Saad Sabrah told the Arabicpress. The move is a critical step in the state’s broader push to privatize its aviation infrastructure.

Why it matters: The IFC-backed program plans to offload the operation and maintenance of state-owned airports to private consortiums under public-private partnerships — which are designed to upgrade terminal efficiencies without transferring asset ownership. The bids under review are mostly by international airport operators working in tandem with local partners, Sabrah said.

The backdrop: The upcoming July selection deadline follows heavy market interest, with some 62 consortiums picking up pre-qualification documents earlier this year ahead the bidding deadline back in mid-February. To enter the bidding, private sector players were required to form a consortium consisting of a specialized airport operator, a global construction firm, and a financing arm.

Helping houses go solar

Banque Misr is now offering up to 100% financing for residential solar panel installations, according to a statement (pdf). The timing is deliberate — the product comes just a few weeks after Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly signaled an upcoming national incentive framework designed to push factories and households toward decentralized solar to ease the aggregate load on the state grid.

PSA-

WEATHER- Cairo is looking at a high of 35°C and a low of 20°C throughout the day, according to our favorite weather app.

It feels more like spring in Alexandria, with a high of 26°C and a low of 18°C.

In a market defined by geopolitical risk, inflation, currency volatility, and declining interest rates, knowing how to manage your money has never been more important, and yet few people are really good at it.

The default in Egypt has traditionally been to dollarize, buy real estate, or stash your extra cash in a high-yield certificate of deposit, but that playbook is dying.

With an illiquid real estate market, the era of ultra-high-yield deposits coming to an end, and a rapidly expanding ecosystem of digital investment options, investors are looking for new, smarter opportunities.

In this four-part series, EnterpriseAM Money Matters will walk you through smart personal finance decisions regardless of your age, income, or starting point.

Coming straight to your inbox — tomorrow, May 20.

The big story abroad

US President Donald Trump has decided to “put off” a scheduled strike against Iran, following requests from the leaders of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Trump said the strike was scheduled for today and that a “full, large scale assault” on the Islamic Republic will go ahead if a resolution is not reached.

A quid pro quo with Adani? The Trump administration dropped a criminal fraud case against Indian b'naire Gautam Adani. The move followed statements from Adani’s lawyer indicating that the pending cases were blocking his planned USD 10 bn investment in the US.

One last thing from Washington: The Securities and Exchange Commission is reportedly readying a plan for trading tokenized stocks as early as this week. The new framework is expected to allow tokens that track share prices without the backing or consent of underlying public companies.

Meanwhile, in the world of AI: Elon Musk lost his lawsuit against OpenAI after a US jury unanimously ruled that the startup was not liable to Musk for allegedly abandoning its humanitarian goal. The development further paves the way to OpenAI’s highly anticipated IPO, which could value the firm at USD 1 tn.

A new player will soon enter the AI space: Google and Blackstone plan to form an AI cloud company with USD 5 bn in capital, scheduled to bring 500 MW of capacity online by next year. Blackstone — the majority owner — will front the equity while Google will provide its specialized chips. This will place the duo in competition with companies like CoreWeave — which uses Nvidia-made chips — as the demand for AI computing power continues to rise.

Citigroup + BlackRock arm to fund firms in Europe (and MENA?): A new alliance between Citigroup and BlackRock’s private credit division will deploy up to USD 15 bn in loans to European corporations and leveraged buyout groups. They expect the partnership — where Citi sources agreements for BlackRock funds to finance — to eventually expand into the Middle East.

*** It’s Going Green day — your weekly briefing of all things green in Egypt: EnterpriseAM’s green economy vertical focuses each Tuesday on the business of renewable energy and sustainable practices in Egypt, everything from solar and wind energy through to water, waste management, sustainable building practices, and how you can make your business greener, whatever the sector.

In today’s issue: We’re unpacking a new OECD report on how the country’s EGP 301 bn in agricultural support is actively worsening the water crisis.