Misr Hotels Company denies plans to sell majority stake to investors

Monday, 14 Aug 2023

Misr Hotels Company denies plans to sell majority stake to investors

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Privatization

Misr Hotels Company denies plans to sell majority stake to investors.

What We're Tracking Today

Agthia is reportedly out of the race to acquire military-owned bottled water firm Safi.

What We're Tracking Today

High-speed rail: Coming 2024.

Also on our Radar

No easing of concentration risk rules, CBE tells banks.

Also on our Radar

Abu Auf could soon enter Saudi Arabia.

What We're Tracking Today

ReNew Power could start work on its green hydrogen plant next year.

Policy

Updates on the car import scheme + plans to draw FX through real estate sales.

What We're Tracking Today

Egyptians living abroad can now register to settle outstanding military service obligations.

What We're Tracking Today

More US lawmakers are calling for cuts to Egypt’s military aid.

BLACKBOARD

The private sector could be getting involved in the government’s Nile Egyptian International Schools.

What We're Tracking Today

Agthia no longer interested in acquiring Egyptian military-owned bottled water firm Safi -local media

Good morning, wonderful people. It’s an unusually brisk news morning for a Monday in the dog days of summer.

Driving the agenda: No single story captures the imagination. Corporate earnings still look strong (for the most part) heading into the last few days of 2Q earnings season. There’s a smattering of M&A news out of the state asset sale program and more on cabinet’s search for FX under the proverbial cushions. Perhaps the most personally meaningful story for many readers is the very welcome news that the pay-to-settle program for folks with unfulfilled military service obligations is now live.

^^ We have more on all of these stories below.

FROM THE RUMOR MILL-

#1- Agthia no longer eyeing Safi? ADQ-owned food company Agthia is no longer looking to acquire military-owned bottled drinks firm Safi, Al Shorouk reported Saturday, citing what it said were unnamed sources. Agthia was said in May to be among the bidders for Safi, which is on deck to sell a minority stake sale under the government’s privatization program, a source close to the transaction confirmed to Enterprise at the time. An Agthia spokesperson yesterday told us the company doesn’t comment on “rumors and speculation about Agthia’s acquisition activity in the Egyptian market,” noting that while 10% of the company’s Egyptian revenues come from exports, “our plan is to significantly grow our export business.”

What Agthia like about Egypt: The country “remains a strategically important market for us, not only considering the favorable long-term socio-demographics and structural demand for protein, coffee, and snacking products, but increasingly as a cost-efficient manufacturing hub for key regional and international export markets,” the company told us.

#2- India’s ReNew Power could break ground on its USD 8 bn greenhydrogenplant in the Suez Canal Economic Zone early next year , Al Shorouk writes, citing what it says is a government source. The plant should take some six years to complete, the source added. Technical studies are now underway for the project ahead of a final investment decision, which is expected between November and March.

REMEMBER- This has been in the works for some time: The Indian company and El Sewedy Electric signed a framework agreement with the government in November for the plant, which is expected to crank out 220k tons of hydrogen and 1.1 mn tons of green ammonia a year.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- High-speed rail: Coming 2024. The first leg of the 1,100-km high-speed rail line will begin operating at the end of 2024, Al Mal quotes Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir as saying yesterday. The first, 660-km line will provide high-speed travel between Ain Sokhna and Al Alamein before extending to Marsa Matrouh later.

Remember: A consortium of Siemens, Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors are constructing the line while Deutsche Bahn and Elsewedy Electric are on board to manage and operate it under a EUR 1 bn, 15-year contract.

#2- Everyone is mum about yesterday’s Egypt-Palestine-Jordan talks: Neither Egypt, the Palestinian Authority nor Jordan have issued statements following yesterday’s meeting in Alamein. The only reports have come from Palestinian media, which provided a vague agenda ahead of the meeting.

#3- More US lawmakers are calling for cuts to Egypt’s military aid: A number of US Democratic lawmakers in the House of Representatives have joined a group of senators in calling on the Biden administration to withhold a quarter of Egypt’s annual USD 1.3 bn of military aid on human rights grounds. The 11 lawmakers have sent a letter (pdf) to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The administration has until 30 September to make a decision.

Remember: The Biden administration blocked Egypt from receiving USD 130 mn of military aid in 2021, a figure that rose to USD 205 mn last year. Around USD 300 mn of total aid given to Egypt is contingent on the country making progress on rights issues.

HAPPENING TODAY-

Egyptians living abroad can now register to settle outstanding military service obligations: Egyptian men living abroad will be able to register here to begin the process of settling any outstanding military service obligations starting today through 13 September, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday. Applicants will need to pay a fee of USD 5k / EUR 5k into accounts at Banque Misr.

CBE to hold EUR T-bill auction: The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) will hold an auction for EUR 600 mn worth of one-year T-bills today with settlement scheduled for tomorrow, according to the central bank. This is the first EUR-denominated T-bill issuance since November, when the central bank sold EUR 699.2 mn worth of one-year bills at a 2.3% yield.

HAPPENING THIS WEEK-

It’s a big week for Egypt’s green transition , with Enterprise Climate reporting that the world’s first-ever green methanol-powered container ship looks set to pass through the Suez Canal today. Our friends at Netherlands-based chemical producer OCI Global are fueling the ship under a partnership with Denmark’s shipping and logistics giant AP Moller-Maersk. We expect the vessel to bunker in Egypt toward the end of this week.

Bidding opens for new industrial land plots on Wednesday: Investors will be able to bid for industrial land from Wednesday, 16 August, through Wednesday, 27 September, under a new phase of the Industrial Development Authority’s (IDA) investment map, according to the authority's website. Some 1.7 mn sqm of land across 14 governorates will be offered to industrial investors in the authority’s first land auction since December. The entire bidding process will take place on IDA’s website.

Want to manufacture something, but don’t know what? The IDA has compiled a list of 152 potential projects for industrial investment, it said ( pdf ) yesterday. The list includes projects to manufacture inputs for the engineering, chemicals, construction, food, and pharma sectors, and is the result of a study meant to identify key products the country should localize to help bridge the country’s USD 30 bn import gap.

Export subsidy payouts: The Finance Ministry will pay out a third batch of export subsidies under the sixth of the program on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The ministry has so far paid out EGP 8 bn to over 800 companies during the current phase.

The National Dialogue: It’s another week of closed-door meetings at the National Dialogue this week as the dialogue’s rapporteurs work with selected pro-government and opposition figures to finalize recommendations to be presented to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

Last week’s wildfires in Hawaii are continuing to dominate the international front pages this morning: The wildfires that decimated a historic Hawaii are now the most deadly in the US in a century after the death toll rose yesterday to 93. The number of victims is expected to rise further in the coming days as rescue teams search for missing people in the town of Lahaini, which has been described as resembling a warzone. (Associated Press | Reuters | Wall Street Journal | Washington Post | New York Times | BBC)

THE ALGOS ARE COMING-

The head of the US’ market regulator just preemptively blamed AI for the next financial crisis: Head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler has warned that powerful trading algorithms driven by generative AI “will be the center of future financial crises.” (Axios | New York Times)

We can’t trust them with our meal plans, either: “Oreo vegetable stir-fry,” “bleach-infused rice surprise,” and chlorine gas (“Serve chilled and enjoy the refreshing fragrance”) were among the adventurous meal recommendations offered by an AI-powered app developed by a New Zealand supermarket chain. (The Guardian)

MARKET WATCH-

Missed this week’s Inside Industry? In our weekly vertical exploring all things industry and manufacturing, we looked at how the local fertilizer industry is being impacted by the government’s decision to reduce gas supplies in response to ongoing rolling blackouts.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The Enterprise Finance Forum is taking place on 18-19 September at the St. Regis Hotel in Cairo. This flagship forum is the latest in our must-attend series of invitation-only, C-suite-level gatherings that allow senior members of our community to openly and frankly discuss critical issues in key sectors of the economy.

TAP OR CLICK HERE if you want to express interest in attending. We’ll be sending out the first batch of invitations soon.

Do you want to become a commercial partner? Ping a note to Moustafa Taalab, our head of commercia l.

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST-

MISSED OUR PREVIOUS FORUMS? The EnterprisePodcast has you covered : The Enterprise Podcast’s forum series has been bringing you audio recordings of what was said on stage at the Enterprise Exports and FDI Forum and Enterprise Climate Forum.

WANT TO LISTEN? Head to: Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast | Anghami.

IN THIS WEEK’S EPISODE- It’s the very first panel of the Enterprise Climate Forum: Egypt brought home major victories from COP27, signing framework agreements for about USD 85 bn worth of green hydrogen projects, and announcing more than USD 10 bn in funding for the Nexus for Food, Water and Energy (NWFE) program. While we have a long way to go before much of the wins from COP27 will be tangible to the private sector, the opportunities in green hydrogen and NWFE are “now.” Our panelists helped explain how these two can be made actionable. We were joined by Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, Khalid Hamza, Director and head of Egypt at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and Khaled Naguib, CEO of Hydrogen Egypt.

*** It’s Blackboard day: We have our weekly look at the business of education in Egypt, from pre-K through the highest reaches of higher ed.

In today’s issue: The private sector could be getting involved in the government’s Nile Egyptian International Schools.

Tags:

ADQ Agthia M&A Watch military privatization watch Safi state privatization program What We're Tracking Today

Solasi Wellbeing Festival has been lovingly created by Yes Yoga and Osana Family Wellness and takes place at beautiful Somabay from 21-23 September. Solasi brings you sunrise yoga, sound healing, funky classes, morning runs, enlightening workshops, healing treatments, tai chi, meditation, kids’ activities, locally sourced food, and lots of dancing.

Don't miss your chance to take #ThreeDaysOff and flow with us at Solasi at Somabay. Head to solasifestival.com to find out more and book your pass today.

Privatization

Misr Hotels Company denies plans to offload majority stake

Misr Hotels Company does not intend to offload a majority stake and has received no offers from local companies for an acquisition, a source at the EGX-listed company told Enterprise yesterday. An article published by Al Shorouk on Saturday had claimed that a number of unnamed local firms are looking to submit an offer to acquire a majority stake in Misr Hotels.

All eyes are on the state’s new hotel company: Misr Hotels is redirecting any expressions of interest to the government’s new hotel company, in which the Misr Hotel’s parent company — the Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels (HOTAC) — owns a stake.

Remember- The government earlier this year bundled seven of its historic hotels into one firm that is selling shares as part of the Madbouly government’s privatization program. Talaat Moustafa Group and a number of unnamed foreign investors recently agreed to invest USD 700 mn in the company via a capital increase, handing them a 37% stake.

Misr Hotels has its sights set elsewhere: The company has a number of investment and expansion plans and is looking at ways to partner up with investors, our source told us.

Is FX a sticking point? The companies eyeing Misr Hotels for acquisition are reportedly searching for a foreign partner interested in transacting in hard currency, according to Al Shorouk.

About the company: Established in 1955, Misr Hotels runs the Nile Ritz-Carlton and the Safir Dahab resort, according to its website. Its net income more than doubled y-o-y to EGP 819.8 mn in FY 2022-2023 on revenues of EGP 976.0 mn (+86% y-o-y).

Shareholder structure: The lion’s share of Misr Hotels Company belongs to the state-owned HOTAC, which holds a near 51% stake, according to a regulatory filing (pdf) last month. The stock is something of a favorite for retail investors: Some 35% of the company is held by individual investors, with the remaining shares in freefloat.

On the up and up: The company gained 0.49% to close yesterday’s trading session at EGP 134.00 per share. Misr Hotels’ share price has more than doubled year-to-date, outpacing the EGX30’s 22% gain in the same period. The company has repeatedly stated in EGX disclosures (here and here, pdfs) that it has not failed to disclose any significant developments that could affect its share price.

Tags:

Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels hospitality Misr Hotels Company privatization watch state privatization program tourism

FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Updates on the car import scheme + plans to draw FX through real estate sales

We have two updates this morning on the Madbouly government’s program to attract FX through the sale of two things near and dear to the heart of every Egyptian: cars and real estate.

#1- Importing a car on the state FX plan? You need to cough up the cash within 30 days. Some 84k Egyptian expats who have registered in the expat car import initiative and received payment invoices will have to complete their payments within a month from 13 August in order to obtain import approvals, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said yesterday. Import approvals are valid for a period of five years.

Remember: Launched in November, the six-month scheme was designed to attract new FX into the country by encouraging expats to import cars. Buyers agreed to pay all customs fees and taxes up front in FX and in return will receive a full rebate in the future. The scheme succeeded in attracting USD 900 mn in FX inflows.

Get a 30% customs tax refund: Those who paid 100% of the customs tax before the 70% tax break came into play can now apply for refunds to their USD bank accounts in Egypt or in their country of residence, Maait added.

What’s a “brand new” vs. a “used” car? Buyers bringing in a never-before-used car can import a vehicle of any model year. Folks who want to import a used vehicle will be limited to model years that are less than three years old at the time the vehicle receives customs clearance.

Want out? Buyers who change their minds and want to withdraw their deposits can do so only after one year of receiving the import approval and will be able to receive refunds in EGP in a period of three months at the official exchange rate, said head of the Customs Authority El Shahat Ghatwary.

REAL ESTATE FOR FX -

#2- Honing in on the gov’t plan to draw FX through real estate sales: The cabinet yesterday reviewed recommendations for its plan to attract hard currency through the sale of Egyptian real estate to both foreigners and Egyptian expats, according to a cabinet statement. A number of draft laws that aimed at encouraging foreign ownership of real estate will soon be sent to the cabinet, the cabinet said, without providing further information.

Remember: The government is planning to lift the cap on foreign ownership. Under draft rules put forward by the government last month, the current cap on the number of properties foreigners can own will be lifted, allowing them to purchase as many as they like. The move was one of the 22 reforms approved by the Supreme Investment Council in May aimed at improving the local investment climate. Expect a bill to hit the House of Representatives when MPs return from the summer recess in October. Check out our detailed coverage on the topic here.

Financializing the sector: Cabinet is considering establishing a real estate fund comprising income-generating administrative and commercial properties, according to the statement. Policymakers are also discussing the idea of allowing investors to trade real estate assets on the EGX, including via a separate exchange for buying and selling shares in properties.

Tags:

automotive economy foreign exchange investment watch policy real estate

A MESSAGE FROM HSBC

HSBC and Uber — accelerating financial inclusion

In support of the Egyptian government’s financial inclusion programme, HSBC has worked with Uber to deliver payment solutions that allow direct payments for driver earnings from riders into e-wallets and provide on-demand cashouts for Uber’s driver partners.

According to the World Bank, two-thirds of Egypt’s citizens do not have a transaction bank account , because of minimum deposits and balance thresholds. For the driver partners using the ride-hailing platform Uber, this presented a particular challenge. Uber needed to develop a direct payment solution for the substantial number of drivers (more than 700k have driven using the app since launch in Egypt.)

With many drivers not possessing bank accounts, Uber sought an innovative technology-driven payment solution that would deliver two core objectives : enable financial inclusion for all drivers who use the platform (banked and unbanked); and deliver a quick and smooth channel for drivers to be able to access their earnings from riders faster (with 20k Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions being made every week.)

Historically, Uber would collect non-cash payments from users of the Uber apps and then make disbursements to bank accounts, whether in the name of driver partners directly or through third parties such as fleet partners who would subsequently make payments to individual drivers.

However, this meant higher costs to individual drivers, thus reducing their earnings.

Working with international banking partner HSBC, Uber ultimately decided to go for ACH-to-bank account and ACH-to-e-wallet digital solutions to achieve their goals. Since wallets can be created through banks and telecom operators in Egypt, this provides the perfect solution for drivers to be able to directly access their earnings from the transportation services they provide to riders using the Uber app.

The solution was implemented over multiple phases. In the first domestic ACH phase, automated payments were introduced via ACH-to-bank to transfer earnings to drivers who held bank accounts — while this initial phase still supported the existing process whereby Uber paid fleet connectors, who in turn paid unbanked drivers.

In the second ACH-to-e-wallet phase, payments for unbanked drivers were introduced via ACH-to-e-wallet through an innovative and resilient payment infrastructure — with disbursement of payments to digital wallets being made weekly, and with the goal set to encourage all unbanked drivers to obtain a digital wallet or provide their e-wallet details so that they can have direct access to their earnings.

The third phase was Uber’s launch of Flexpay — payments made on demand triggered by eligible drivers on Uber’s app, where drivers are able to access their earnings more frequently than their weekly payouts. HSBC supported Uber through the frequent payouts within the day before the daily cut off time, empowering unbanked drivers on the Uber platform with convenient and fast access to their earnings through HSBC’s payment solution.

By drawing on HSBC’s deep digital expertise and wide global network, we have developed an innovative and resilient payment infrastructure for drivers using the Uber app , enabling quick and secure disbursements of payments from riders to drivers on their platform. This will facilitate easy and fast e-payments, which will help Uber automate their cash management processes.

Todd Wilcox (LinkedIn) is HSBC Egypt’s deputy chairman and chief executive officer. HSBC’s column in Enterprise appears every second Monday.

Tags:

A MESSAGE FROM HSBC financial inclusion HSBC Uber

EARNINGS WATCH

Fawry profits almost quadruple in 1H 2023

It’s the final days of 2Q earnings season here in Omm El Donia. You can expect a flurry of filings in the coming days. Among those out with results yesterday:

FAWRY-

EGX-listed e-payments giant Fawry’s adjusted net income almost quadrupled to EGP 327.9 mn in 1H 2023 , according to the company’s earnings release ( pdf ). Revenues climbed 42% y-o-y to EGP 1.4 bn during the period.

On a quarterly basis: The company’s adjusted net income rose to EGP 181.1 mn in 2Q 2023, up 342% y-o-y. Revenues grew 45% y-o-y to EGP 768.5 mn during the quarter.

Banking services + microfinance underpinned revenue growth in 1H 2023: Fawry’s banking services segment was the single largest driver of the rise in revenues, accounting for 52% of overall topline growth. Banking services generated EGP 547.7 mn in revenues, up 70% compared with the first half of 2022. The company’s alternative digital payments (ADP) segments remained the company’s biggest contributor to its top line, with revenues rising 15% y-o-y to EGP 582.6 mn. The microfinance segment also performed well, generating EGP 168.1 mn of revenues, up 59% y-o-y.

What they said: “Our increased profitability at the gross profit, EBITDA, and adjusted net profit levels are consistent with our continued cost control efforts, both direct and indirect, in response to increased inflation which has affected the country since 2022,” CEO Ashraf Sabry said in the release. “There has also been a remarkable expansion of our mobile wallet transactions and mobile wallet throughput value, recording 67.6 mn transactions and EGP 80.5 mn during the six-month period, a rise of 73.9% and 107.7% y-o-y, respectively,” he added.

IBNSINA PHARMA-

Ibnsina Pharma’s net income rose 49% to EGP 132 mn in 1H 2023 , according to the company’s latest earnings release (pdf). The pharma firm booked net revenues of EGP 14.7 bn in the first half of the year, up 43% y-o-y.

Price hikes drive growth: The company reported 19% y-o-y sales growth in the January-June period, which it said was driven by its decision to hike prices.

Ibnsina is keeping a close eye on costs: The company continued its “conservative” approach to spending into 2Q, limiting opex growth to 20% y-o-y in 1H 2023 by making efficiency savings on line items from salaries to electricity.

Tags:

earnings watch Fawry Fintech Ibnsina Pharma non-banking financial services pharma

Moves

The SCZone’s Walid Gamal El Din and SCA’s Osama Rabie to retain their roles for another year

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has renewed Walid Gamal El Din's term as chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) for another year ,effective 12 August, according to a statement. Gamal El Din was appointed as the chairman of the General Authority of the SCZone last August, after serving as vice chairman for a brief period during 2022. Prior to that, he served as the zone’s CEO since January 2020.

El Sisi also handed Osama Rabie another one-year term as managing director and chairman of the Suez Canal Authority , effective 12 August, according to a statement. Rabie has been serving as the SCA chief since August 2019.

Ayman El Ashry (LinkedIn) has been elected president of the Cairo Chamber of Commerce , succeeding Ibrahim El Araby who was also president of the Federation of Egyptian Chamber of Commerce, Al Borsa reports.

Tags:

Ayman El Ashry moves Osama Rabie Suez Canal Suez Canal Authority Suez Canal Economic Zone Walid Gamal El Din

LAST NIGHT’S TALK SHOWS

The delivery of metro train with 40% local components dominated the airwaves yesterday

It was another quiet night on the airwaves last night. With Lamees El Hadidi, Amr Adib and Sherif Amer still on their summer breaks, Al Hayah Al Youm’s Lobna Assal, Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa, and Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hossary were left to cover a variety of topics including yesterday’s Egypt-Palestine-Jordan talks in Alamein and a new Egypt-made railcar.

Made-in-Egypt rolling stock: Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 1:44) and Ala Mas’ouleety (watch , runtime: 11:29) both covered the Arab Organization for Industrialization’s delivery of a locally-assembled metro train that will operate on Metro Line 3. AOI head Mokhtar Abdel Latif said that 40% of the components used for the rolling stock were sourced from local suppliers.

We received zero information on yesterday’s Egypt-Palestine-Jordan talks: Interviews on Al Hayah Al Youm with an advisor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (watch, runtime: 9:16) and local journalist Bilal El Dawy (watch, runtime: 28:27) provided no details on yesterday’s three-way meeting between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Abbas, and Jordan’s King Abdullah in Alamein. None of the sides have released public statements following the talks, with only Palestinian media reporting ahead of the meeting that the three leaders would discuss regional and international issues.

Al Aqmar Mosque gets a facelift: The historic Al Aqmar Mosque in old Cairo’s El Moez Street reopened yesterday following renovation works, earning coverage from Masaa DMC (watch, runtime: 4:49).

Covid-19: Masaa DMC interviewed an immunity specialist to reassure viewers about the new sub-variant of covid-19, who said that symptoms of EG.5 / Eris are akin to the common cold (watch, runtime: 6:48). The Health Ministry yesterday said that it is closely monitoring the new strain of the virus.

Tags:

Arab Organization for Industrialization covid-19 DIPLOMACY Egypt-Jordan relations Egypt-Palestine relations health high-speed rail LAST NIGHT’S TALK SHOWS Middle East politics military transport

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EGYPT IN THE NEWS

British tourists are flocking to Egypt in search of sun

Sun is the overriding theme in the foreign press this morning , whether it's powering our appliances or bringing crowds of British tourists to our shores (with a little help from the EGP).

British tourists flock to Egypt amid a falling EGP: Brits are booking more than twice the number of summer trips to Egypt compared with before the pandemic in 2019, the Press Association reports, citing figures from online travel agency On the Beach. The combination of the strengthening GBP and the weaker EGP, which has almost halved in value since March 2022, is making Egypt particularly attractive amid a global rebound in tourism, the newswire reports.

It’s not just the Brits: Egypt welcomed a record 7 mn tourists in 1H 2023, up more than 40% y-o-y. Hotel occupancy rates across the country also jumped during the first half of the year, climbing to 80% from 65% during the same period last year.

ALSO- Solar water: Harvard Innovation Lab-incubated startup Shamsina gets a feature in Africanews on how the 30 solar water heaters it has installed in low-income neighborhoods across the country are helping communities. (Africanews)

Tags:

energy renewables tourism

Also on our Radar

Abu Auf to enter Saudi Arabia this year? PLUS: News from the CBE, Pickalbatros

RETAIL-

Abu Auf could soon enter Saudi Arabia: Egyptian food brand Abu Auf wants to expand into Saudi Arabia by the end of this year, reports Al Shorouk, citing unnamed sources. Abu Auf’s majority shareholder is ADQ-owned Emirati F&B company Agthia, which bought a 60% stake in the company last year and already owns brands in the kingdom. Abu Auf plans to invest USD 5-7 mn in 2023 for Gulf expansion, the company told Enterprise at the time of Agthia’s acquisition last summer.

BANKING -

No dice on easing concentration risk rules, CBE tells banks: The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has declined a request by the Federation of Egyptian Banks to bring back exemptions that would exclude their largest clients from credit concentration limits until December 2024, Asharq Business reports, citing an official document it says it has seen.

Credit concentration limits? The limits cap the amount of credit that banks can extend to any one client at 15% of the bank’s total credit portfolio, or at 20% of its total portfolio for a client and parties related to the client. The CBE exempted banks’ 50 largest clients from credit concentration limits in 2020 in response to the pandemic. That exemption expired at the end of last year.

TOURISM-

Pickalbatros will open a new hotel in Sharm El Sheikh before the end of the year , Al Mal quotes Chairman Kamel Abou Ali as saying. The 200-room, EGP 400 mn Laguna Club hotel will open in the Red Sea resort town in November, he said. The company also plans to open the Portofino Marsa Alam in the coming months, which will feature 840 rooms and suites, he added.

LOGISTICS-

El Dekheila dry bulk terminal to be offered to companies: Alexandria Port Authority will launch a tender in October for grain shipping and handling companies to take over management of a dry bulk terminal at El Dekheila Port, Al Mal reports. The winning company will take the 300k square-meter terminal for 30 years.

Tags:

Abu Auf Alexandria Port Authority ALSO ON OUR RADAR banking Central Bank of Egypt Federation of Egyptian Banks food hospitality logistics Pickalbatros regulation watch retail tourism

PLANET FINANCE

The treasury market is continuing to forecast a US recession

US recession could still be on the cards as bond investors continue pessimistic outlook: Investors in US treasuries are still betting that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes will push the country into a recession, despite growing Wall Street optimism to the contrary, reports the Wall Street Journal. Yields on short-term US government bonds continue to far surpass those on long-term bonds, a phenomenon known as the inverted yield curve that has preceded every recession in the past five decades. Past data indicates that the curve un-inverts shortly before a recession, with short-term bond yields falling because the Fed is cutting rates or is close to doing so.

EM bonds are (so far) unscathed by rising US yields: Local-currency emerging-market debt is holding up even as yields rise in the US, as slowing inflation and expectations for easier monetary policy keep investors interested in the asset class, according to Bloomberg. “The disinflation process in emerging markets is proceeding faster than we had previously expected — this should allow EM central banks to cut rates sooner and faster than developed-market ones,” said one strategist. “We remain overweight EM local-currency bonds.”

Expect more pressure in the coming weeks and months as the Fed continues to unwind its balance sheet: The Fed’s balance sheet is expected to have shrunk its balance sheet by USD 1 tn by the end of August, as the central bank continues to reverse the years of easy pandemic-era monetary policy, reports the Financial Times. The bank’s huge bond-buying program in the wake of the pandemic saw its balance sheet balloon to a record USD 8.55 tn, which it is now in the process of reversing as it tightens financial conditions in response to last year’s soaring inflation.

Why is this bad news for bonds? The Fed’s move to so-called quantitative tightening involves it selling back to the market the bonds it purchased from investors to steady the financial system during the crash in March 2020. This will sharply increase the supply of debt, driving up borrowing costs and potentially destabilizing the market.

ALSO- KSA completes bond buyback ahead of maiden sukuk sale : Saudi Arabia has bought back SAR 35.7 bn (USD 9.5 bn) of outstanding debt and will replace it with a SAR 35.9 bn sukuk issuance maturing at later dates, according to Bloomberg. The kingdom has appointed HSBC, Standard Chartered, Emirates NBD and Al Rajhi Capital to manage the issuance.

EGX30	17,856	+0.8% (YTD: +22.3%)
USD (CBE)	Buy 30.83	Sell 30.96
USD at CIB	Buy 30.85	Sell 30.95
Interest rates CBE	19.25% deposit	20.25% lending
Tadawul	11,546	+1.1% (YTD: +10.2%)
ADX	9,880	-0.3% (YTD: -3.3%)
DFM	4,064	+0.4% (YTD: +21.8%)
S&P 500	4,464	-0.1% (YTD: +6.1%)
FTSE 100	7,524	-1.2% (YTD: +1.0%)
Euro Stoxx 50	4,321	-1.4% (YTD: +13.9%)
Brent crude	USD 86.81	+0.5%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 2.77	+0.3%
Gold	USD 1,946.60	-0.1%
BTC	USD 29,403	0.0% (YTD: +78.4%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The EGX30 rose 0.8% at yesterday’s close on turnover of EGP 1.78 bn (10.5% below the 90-day average). Foreign investors were net buyers. The index is up 22.3% YTD.

In the green: Ezz Steel (+5.7%), Alexandria Containers and Cargo Handling (+4.2%), and Beltone Financial Holding (+3.9%).

In the red: Orascom Development Egypt (-1.1%), Juhayna (-0.4%), and B Investments (-0.2%).

Asian markets are starting the week in the red this morning as fears about a Chinese economic slowdown continue. Shares in the US and Europe are on course to fall at the opening bell.

Tags:

emerging markets Federal Reserve Financial Markets interest rates Planet Finance Saudi Arabia

Diplomacy

Egypt’s housing minister pushes for bigger role for Egyptian contractors in Iraq infrastructure projects

Housing minister pushes for bigger role for Egyptian contractors in Iraq infrastructure projects: Housing Minister Assem El Gazzar met yesterday with his Iraqi counterpart Bangen Rekani in Baghdad where they discussed the potential involvement of Egyptian construction companies in Iraqi development projects, according to a ministry statement. Arab Contractors chairman Ahmed El Assar is accompanying the minister on his trip.

Remember: The Egyptian government has been keen to get local companies involved in the reconstruction effort in Iraq and in recent years has signed a number of agreements with Baghdad to increase cooperation over developing the country’s infrastructure.

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Assem El Gazzar construction DIPLOMACY Egypt-Iraq relations Housing Ministry

Our weekly deep dive into education in Egypt, from K-12 to post-secondary.

Published every Monday in EnterpriseAM.

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BLACKBOARD

The private sector could be getting involved in the government’s Nile Egyptian International Schools

The gov’t wants to expand Nile schools, with the help of the private sector: Private sector education players are welcoming the Education Ministry’s plans to expand its Nile Egyptian International Schools through partnerships with the private sector. The ministry is looking to expand the application of its Nile school curriculums by allowing private schools to set up new divisions that apply the curriculum, our sources tell us. The experimental expansion of the Nile school system will be limited to new divisions within existing private schools, rather than allowing the private sector to set up entirely new schools with the Nile system.

REFRESHER- What are Nile schools? The government launched Nile schools in 2010 in a bid to offer education services that meet international quality standards at more affordable price points than private international schools. The curriculum applied in Nile schools was designed in partnership with Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) and offers its students an Egyptian international certificate upon graduation. The bilingual curriculum delivers religious and social studies in Arabic, along with Arabic language lessons, while all remaining subjects are delivered in English. The schools are managed by the Misr Foundation for Educational Administration and are supervised by the Education Ministry, along with the University of Cambridge’s International Examinations Authority. There are currently 14 schools across the country that apply the Nile schools’ curriculum in Greater Cairo, Luxor, Assiut, Minya, Qena, Port Said, and Aswan.

What’s happening now? The Education Ministry is planning to allow private language schools to offer Nile International Education certificates after receiving the necessary certification, our sources at the ministry told us. These certifications will require schools to ensure that they will have dedicated teachers for the Nile system division, our sources said. The ministry is also limiting the trial run to allowing schools to set up divisions within their existing campuses, creating a controlled experiment before assessing the outcomes and further expanding the private sector’s application of the curriculum.

Part of what sets Nile schools apart is the pricing: The Nile school experiment is based on delivering an international curriculum at a lower price point than international schools in Egypt, our sources explained. The government will work on setting tuition fees for Nile system divisions with the private schools that are looking to set up these divisions within their schools. The fees will fall at a midpoint between national schools and international schools, our sources said. These fees will also be subject to the same 7% annual increase cap that the government imposes on private and international schools, according to our sources.

The private sector is on board: The government’s decision to bring private sector education players into the Nile schools is a welcome move that will help develop the local education industry, Private Schools Owners Association Chairman Badawy Allam tells us. Private national schools, for example, will benefit from setting up Nile system divisions since their fees will be higher than regular national school fees, which will allow these schools to grow their revenue streams, Allam said. This uptick in revenues could help drive fresh investments in new national schools, particularly as the costs of setting up new schools have been on the rise. Meanwhile, language schools could benefit from diversifying their education offerings, Al Hossam Schools Chairman Mandouh El Husseiny told Enterprise.

Your top education stories for the week:

The highest exam-passing rate since 2020-2021: Some 78.8% of students passed their Thanawya Amma exams this year.
National Dialogue: Participants at the National Dialogue recently discussed a draft law establishing a new council for education and training.

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Blackboard Education Nile Egyptian International Schools Schools

CALENDAR

JULY

Late July-14 August: 2Q2023 earnings season.

AUGUST

August: Hassan Allam Utilities + Agility to open Yanmu East logistics park.

16-17 August (Wednesday-Thursday): Finance Ministry to pay out the third batch of the sixth phase of the export subsidies.

16 August - 27 September: The start of the bidding process for the fifth phase of the investment map offered by the Industrial Development Authority (IDA).

22-24 August (Tuesday-Thursday): BRICS summit, Johannesburg, South Africa.

28 August (Monday): The start of Flat6Labs’ inaugural 12-week contech accelerator program.

SEPTEMBER

September: Sustainable Debt Coalition Initiative agreed at COP27 to launch.

September: IDH to open first branch in Saudi Arabia.

September: The Egypt-Germany trade and investment joint conference in Cairo.

September: JETRO’s second delegation arrives in Cairo.

1 September (Friday): Application deadline for the Smart Green Projects initiative.

3-5 September (Thursday-Saturday): Pharmaconex, Egypt International Exhibition Centre, Cairo.

9-10 September (Saturday-Sunday): G20 summit, New Delhi, India.

10-12 September (Sunday-Tuesday): The International Agricultural Exhibition for Africa and the Middle East, Sahara.

13-14 September (Wednesday-Thursday): Hydrogen Egypt Summit, Nile Ritz Carlton, Cairo.

15 September (Friday): IMF to review USD 3 bn program.

15 September (Friday): Deadline for FX bureaus to comply with new capital requirements.

17-18 September (Sunday-Monday): Arab Security Conference and Exhibition, Nile Ritz Carlton, Cairo.

17-19 September (Sunday-Tuesday): Sharm Rendezvous, Rixos Premium Seagate, Sharm ElSheikh.

18-19 September (Monday-Tuesday): Enterprise Finance Forum, St. Regis Hotel, Cairo.

19-20 September (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Reserve interest rate meeting.

20-23 September (Wednesday-Saturday): Cityscape Egypt, Egypt International Exhibition Center, Cairo.

21 September (Thursday): Central Bank of Egypt’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

25 September (Monday): Nasdaq deadline for Swvl Holdings Corp to increase its market value of publicly held shares to a minimum of USD 15 mn.

25-26 September (Monday-Tuesday): Egypt to host the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank’s annual board meeting, Sharm El Sheikh.

26 September (Tuesday): Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (TBC).

28 September (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (TBC).

28-29 September (Thursday-Friday): Medical Tourism Conference, Sharm ElSheikh.

30 September (Saturday): The start of the new academic year for Egyptian universities.

30 September (Saturday): The start of the new academic year for Egyptian schools.

OCTOBER

October: Deadline for ins. providers to link their databases with the FRA.

October: Egyptian-Jordanian Business Council, Amman, Jordan.

2-4 October (Monday-Wednesday): Sharm Rendezvous - Ins. Market, Rixos Premium Seagate, Sharm ElSheikh.

2-5 October (Monday-Thursday): ADIPEC 2023, Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.

6 October (Friday): Armed Forces Day.

9 October (Monday): The Narrative PR Summit, Somabay Red Sea.

9-11 October (Monday-Wednesday): Arabs Savings and Financial Literacy Conference, Four Seasons Hotel.

13 October- 20 October (Friday-Friday): The sixth edition of El Gouna Film Festival (GFF).

Late October-14 November: 3Q2023 earnings season.

15-17 October (Sunday-Tuesday): Egypt Automotive Aftermarket Exhibition, Cairo International Convention Center.

26 October (Thursday): Daylight saving time ends.

29-31 October (Sunday-Tuesday): Egypt Energy, Egypt International Exhibition Center.

29 October - 2 November (Sunday- Thursday): Cairo Water Week.

30-31 October (Monday-Tuesday): Intelligent Cities Exhibition and Conference, Dusit Thani LakeView, Cairo.

30-31 October (Monday-Tuesday): Global Business School Network (GBSN), American University of Cairo.

31 October - 1 November (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Reserve interest rate meeting.

NOVEMBER

2 November (Thursday): Central Bank of Egypt’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

9-15 November (Thursday-Wednesday): Intra-African Trade Fair, Cairo.

14-15 November (Tuesday-Wednesday): Destination Africa, Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski Hotel.

15-24 November (Wednesday-Friday): Cairo International Film Festival, Cairo.

19-22 November (Sunday-Wednesday): Cairo ICT, Egypt International Exhibition Center.

23 November (Thursday): Worldview Education Fair, Cairo. (Register here)

30 November-12 December (Thursday-Tuesday): COP28, Dubai.

DECEMBER

10-11 December (Sunday-Monday): eGlobe Expo, St. Regis Almasa Hotel, Cairo.

12-13 December (Tuesday-Wednesday): Federal Reserve interest rate meeting.

12-14 December (Tuesday-Thursday): Food Africa Expo, Egypt International Exhibition Center.

21 December (Thursday): Central Bank of Egypt’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

EVENTS WITH NO SET DATE

2023: The inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Summer 2023: EGX to launch a shariah-compliant index.

1H 2023: GAFI roadshow set to launch to drum up foreign investment for golden licenses

1H 2023: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank intends to launch a digital consumer finance company

2H 2023: Egyptian government expected to sign agreements with a consultant for the EuroAfrica electricity interconnector.

2H 2023: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expected to hold a summit.

3Q 2023: E-Finance to launch in Saudi Arabia.

4Q 2023: EGX to launch its new futures exchange.

End of 2023: A Developments’ first phase of the Lazoghly development completed.

2024: Standard Chartered Bank to open a branch in Egypt.

End of 2024: The launch of the high-speed train line linking Ain Sokhna with Al Alamein City.

November 2024: Egypt to host the 12th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF12).

2Q 2025: Safaga Terminal 2 to initiate operations.

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