{"id":680542,"date":"2026-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/?p=680542"},"modified":"2026-01-09T12:06:03","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T12:06:03","slug":"egypt-to-host-a-pan-african-gold-bank-under-mou-with-afreximbank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/egypt\/2026\/01\/01\/egypt-to-host-a-pan-african-gold-bank-under-mou-with-afreximbank\/","title":{"rendered":"Egypt to host a pan-African gold bank under MoU with Afreximbank"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Good morning, friends, and happy new year. It\u2019s been a long and busy 12 months, but at least we get to start the new year with a day of rest. May this issue find you bundled up with a hot drink in hand. Not sure where to go from there? We\u2019ve got a list of holiday watches to keep you entertained.<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s a new year, but are you really a new you? If you\u2019re having flashbacks of resolutions past gathering dust, you\u2019re in excellent company. This week\u2019s guide is all about turning the usual overpromises into actionable and realistic goals that will see you through the year.<\/p>\n\n

?\ufe0f LAST WEEK IN 3 MINS-<\/p>\n\n

ECONOMY-<\/p>\n\n

#1- The CBE and Afreximbank will establish a pan-African gold bank<\/a> and an internationally accredited refinery in an Egyptian freezone. The bank will extend logistical gold storage solutions for member countries and reduce the gap between local and international gold prices.<\/p>\n\n

#2- Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk has approved sweeping amendments to the executive regulations of the Customs Law<\/a>. The move signals a major pivot toward a whitelist economy, where the state trades traditional, inspection-heavy oversight for a risk-based framework that rewards compliant companies.<\/p>\n\n

#3- Egypt received<\/a> the USD 3.5 bn cashbased portion of the Alam El Roum development agreement from Qatari Diar. A senior government official says that the receipt of this specific Qatari inflow was the catalyst required to satisfy the Fund\u2019s requirements regarding foreign currency buffers and the closure of financing gaps. The government will allocate 50% of the proceeds toward the direct reduction of public debt. <\/p>\n\n

BANKING- <\/p>\n\n

An estimated EGP 1.3-1.5 tn in high-yield certificates will reach maturity in early January, bracing local banks for a massive structural shift in liquidity<\/a>. Industry leaders see this influx as a \u201chealthy economic phenomenon\u201d marking the transition from a period of emergency monetary tightening to a new era of growth and production.<\/p>\n\n

AUTOMOTIVE-<\/p>\n\n

Egypt is considering a major overhaul of its customs regime that would see the end of full exemptions for imported EVs<\/a>, a senior government official tells EnterpriseAM. The move is part of a broader strategy to give global manufacturers \u2014 and not just in the automotive sector \u2014 reasons to set up shop in Egypt to assemble or manufacture, rather than shipping finished units into the country.<\/p>\n\n

TAX-<\/p>\n\n

The Finance Ministry is preparing a wide-ranging package of fiscal reforms<\/a> targeting some of the private sector\u2019s structural grievances, ranging from significant changes to how companies in freezones are taxed to a shifting of personal income tax brackets to account for inflation. <\/p>\n\n

DEBT WATCH-<\/p>\n\n

The Finance Ministry issued<\/a> EGP 5 bn in three-year local sovereign sukuk. This is the ministry\u2019s first test of the debt market following the CBE\u2019s 100 bps rate cut last week. While the issuance is a re-opening of a series carrying a fixed coupon of 21.224%, tomorrow\u2019s auction will give us all more detail on the market\u2019s new pricing reality. With the CBE\u2019s overnight deposit rate now down to 20.00%, banks and sharia-compliant funds are expected to bid aggressively to lock in these 21%+ returns before the government adjusts future coupons downward.<\/p>\n\n

LOGISTICS-<\/p>\n\n

#1- The Transport Ministry is in advanced talks with China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) for a series of shipbuilding and shipyard projects<\/a>, a senior government source told EnterpriseAM. The talks, which also include a consortium of other Chinese maritime giants, are yet to land on a final price tag or financing structure. The official suggested they could wrap as early as the first half of the new year.<\/p>\n\n

#2- Egypt has secured<\/a> a strategic foothold in Djibouti\u2019s maritime infrastructure, with state-owned and private firms signing a series of agreements to develop a new multi-purpose terminal, a regional logistics hub, as well as a solar power plant in the East African nation.<\/p>\n\n

ENERGY-<\/p>\n\n

Elsewedy Electric wants to double down on Greece with two additional 100 MWh battery energy storage system projects<\/a>. The company\u2019s first project is set to begin operation in 1Q 2026, and the other two are expected to follow in 2H 2027.<\/p>\n\n

? AROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS- <\/p>\n

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? It\u2019s been a slow week on the business front pages with the the new year coming in. Here are the top headlines of the week: <\/p>\n\n