Private sector raise could become mandatory? Business associations signed on Tuesday the initiative that would see 18 mn private sector employees receive a 10% hardship raise, AMAY reports. The raise was set at a minimum EGP 165 and maximum EGP 330 a month and companies are being asked to “voluntarily” implementing the raise as of this month.
Contrary to what Labor Minister Mohamed Saafan said last week, the initiative might become mandatory for businesses if decreed by the House of Representatives after they decide on its final value and implementation mechanism, Rep. Mohamed Wahb Allah tells Ahram Gate. The House’s majority Support Egypt Coalition kicked off talk of the raise last week. The minister had explained, though, that the raise agreement would be non-binding, asking businesses to do it in the spirit of corporate social responsibility.
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M&A WATCH- EFG Hermes announced it has entered “into definitive agreements to invest” USD 21.5 mn in Frontier Investment Management (FIM). The transaction, once completed, will leave EFG Hermes owning a 50% stake in FIM, with the remaining half still owned by FIM’s founder and CEO, Hedi Ben Mlouka. FIM will become part of EFG Hermes’ asset management business “while retaining its independence, brand name and autonomy in investing across regional and frontier capital markets.” EFG Hermes says, “FIM will continue executing its current strategy of delivering unique returns to its institutional investor base.” The investment bank will seek the consent of its clients to contribute its regional (non-Egypt related) portfolios and funds into FIM during the coming six months. Through the investment in FIM, EFG Hermes has positioned itself as the manager of choice for institutional investors seeking specialized active fund managers with a strong on the ground knowledge of MENA and frontier markets, said EFG Hermes Group CEO Karim Awad.
…Separately, EFG Hermes expects to serve as debt adviser to three Middle East companies on transactions worth a combined USD 700 mn by the end of 2018. The firm gave no further details about the three companies. EFG Hermes also plans to grow its financial leasing portfolio to EGP 5 bn from about EGP 2 bn currently, said Walid Hassouna, CEO of EFG Hermes Finance and head of the firm’s debt structuring division, told Reuters. The firm has also obtained preliminary approval from Egypt's financial regulator to begin offering factoring services and could roll out of the offering as early as 4Q2017.
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M&A WATCH- Suez Bags is reportedly an acquisition target, sources close to the transaction tell Al Borsa. The company — a subsidiary of Suez Cement — has received two competing bids, one of which reportedly comes from international packaging and paper firm Mondi. Sources did not disclose the second bidder. The newspaper puts the size of the transaction in the neighborhood of EGP 400 mn. The Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority has approved due diligence for both bidders, which will be completed in two months time. EFG Hermes is reportedly advising on transaction, but the newspaper’s sources did not specify whether it is on the buy or sell side. Zaki Hashem & Partners has confirmed to us that it will be acting as legal adviser to Mondi Group’s bid.
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IPO WATCH- Pioneers Holding is set to list 30% of its shares in Rooya Real Estate Investment Company on the EGX in 2H17, board member Khaled El Tayeb tells Reuters. Arab African International Bank was selected to advise on the listing and a local and an international issuance manager will be chosen within weeks, El Tayeb adds. Pioneers currently owns a total of 60% of Rooya’s shares. Rooya CEO Hisham Shoukry had valued the listing at a minimum of EGP 2 bn in November.
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Ride-hailing app Uber decided on Tuesday to follow in the footsteps of competitor Careem and hike its fares after recent fuel prices hikes, Daily News Egypt says. The base fare for Uber’s standard service will rise to EGP 6 from EGP 5, while the fare for its premium Uber Select service increased to EGP 7 from EGP 6. The fare for each kilometer traveled was also increased to EGP 1.85 for the standard UberX and EGP 2 for Uber Select. The minimum fare was set at EGP 10 and EGP 15 for the standard and premium services, respectively. The Consumer Protection Authority will be meeting with representatives from both Uber and Careem next week to discuss the fare hikes, authority head Atef Yacoub tells Al Mal.
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French market research firm Ipsos is getting an assist from the French embassy in Cairo to try and clear up the order of closure issued by the Manpower Ministry on Monday, according to a note from France’s Foreign Affairs and International Development Ministry. The company had come under scrutiny by the Manpower Ministry for alleged workplace safety violations. Both governments seem to be striking a conciliatory tone about the matter.
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Egypt has not suspended exports of grapes, strawberries or any other agricultural product, the Trade and Industry Ministry confirmed in a Tuesday statement picked up by AMAY, dismissing rumors suggesting otherwise. The ministry is working on boosting exports, the statement adds, and recently reached an agreement to begin exporting grapes to China. The newly-established Export Development Authority had rolled out a five-year export promotion strategy for 2017-2023 to streamline processes and enforce strict quality standards, after Saudi Arabia and other countries in the GCC issued temporary bans on imports of Egyptian strawberries and peppers over concerns of high levels of pesticides. The Agriculture Ministry is also working on legislation that would regulate pesticide usage and set heftier penalties for violators.
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Supply Ministry announces new wheat milling prices: The Supply Ministry announced it will pay public wheat mills EGP 500 per tonne of wheat, while private mills will receive EGP 480 per tonne. The news came after the ministry reached an agreement with mill owners, ministry spokesman Mohamed Sewed tells Al Borsa. The pricing scheme will be up for review on a bi-annual basis, a stipulation of the mill owners. The Federation of Egyptian Industries had been lobbying for EGP 540 per tonne in exchange for the ministry collecting the wheat bran for the Agriculture Ministry’s livestock projects. The Supply Ministry has presented the proposed prices to the Finance Ministry, along with its plans to stop subsidizing flour for subsidized bread production, to bring the new prices into effect as of the beginning of August, Sewed says.
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Cyber Crimes Act could up Egypt’s surveillance game: The Cyber Crimes Act currently being reviewed by justice and communication ministry committees is will facilitate social media surveillance, Rep. Ahmed Refaat, a member of the House’s Communications Committee, said on Tuesday, according to Al Shorouk. This increased surveillance will not infringe on the privacies of law-abiding citizens, Refaat said, explaining that the legislation will oblige security forces to seek authorization before tracking any one specific individual.
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New social welfare act under review, looks set to hit the House by early fall: The Council of State (Maglis Al Dawla) has begun its review of the Social Welfare Act in coordination with the Social Solidarity Ministry, a judicial source tells Al Borsa. The council expects to complete its review and send its comments on the bill to the Ismail cabinet for approval by the end of August, before it is sent to the House of Representatives for a vote. If the act were to pass, the Social Solidarity Ministry would establish a new pension fund and set its own investment strategy, Minister Ghada Wali said last month. The law will also index annual pensions increases to inflation and set a minimum pension rate. A World Bank delegation visiting Cairo last month has reviewed the draft bill.
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Kuwait Finance House confirmed it is in talks to merge with Ahli United Bank of Bahrain, Reuters reports. The confirmation came in on Tuesday and is the latest in a trend of GCC banking consolidation -- something of a knee-jerk reaction when times get tough. We saw it during the financial crisis and recently with the formation of First Abu Dhabi Bank after the drop in oil prices.
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The Trump administration imposed a fresh round of sanctions on Iran yesterday after a review of the nuclear accord, according to Reuters. The unilateral sanctions against Iran come ostensibly in response to what the White House considers a violation of the “spirit” of the nuclear agreement. This is the first significant charge out of the Trump administration on foreign policy toward Iran after months of talk.
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