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Agriculture
Is Egyptian Countryside’s massive EGP 25 bn power grid upgrade a signal of something even bigger?
The state-owned developer may be looking to transform itself into a master developer of an…
Farmers aren’t borrowing to survive anymore — they’re investing
Medium-term loans rose more than 1k% to EGP 22.6 bn in the FY 2023-24, while…
Al Amal is investing in crop processing facility — and a takeover bid for Zahraa Maadi gets blocked
PLUS: Titan Cement is moving upstream into waste management
Two Chinese players break ground on USD 270 mn worth of projects
PLUS- Blue Ocean Corporation opened an office in Egypt
Automotive
Gov’t drops its push for authorized-only auto spare parts imports
By allowing general importers to continue bringing in automotive parts, the government is choosing market…
Is now the right time to buy a car?
Thinking of getting a new car but not sure where to start? We’ve got you…
More Chinese car assembly, Elmarakby’s EGP 1 bn vertical play, and Turkish denim lands in SCZone
It’s a good morning for manufacturing in Egypt…
New tariff plan aims to tip the scales in favor of local EV assembly
But while full exemptions for EVs may soon be a thing of the past, duties…
Banking
Foreign reserves jump to USD 51.5 bn in December
PLUS- Turkey’s AS Tekstil signed a USD 4.1 mn contract to establish a production facility…
Your guide to retiring in Egypt
Everything you need to know to make an informed decision about your retirement plan
Is the EGP’s “speculative pricing” era over?
Driven by a record-breaking surge in remittances and the restoration of banking sector liquidity, the…
Banks are front-running the easing cycle
While banks moved quickly to cut interest rates on deposits and new certificates to reduce…
Basic Materials
Mifra to build USD 7 mn metal products factory in Ain Sokhna
The project will produce smart locks, door handles, and kitchen accessories
China’s CJN to set up USD 1 bn phosphate industrial park in Sokhna 360
Output will be exported to South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South America
Cement player Titan to invest EGP 3 bn to boost capacity
PLUS- FRA mandates digital data link for fund managers
Elmarakby Steel plans EGP 500 mn factory upgrade
PLUS- Friday plans to invest over EUR 15 mn into expanding production capacity
Capital Markets
Gov’t to end privatisation hiatus with two companies set to debut on EGX next month
Good afternoon, folks, and happy hump day. Today’s issue brings news of a rekindled privatization…
What the markets are doing on 13 January 2026
The EGX30 rose 0.7% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 5.8 bn (7.2% above…
Kadmar adds to Ain Sokhna’s storage capacity
PLUS- GB Lease and Factoring closes its largest securitization bond issuance yet
The GCC IPO party took a breather in 2025
The region recorded 40 IPOs during the year, down from 53 in 2024
Climate
Two big boosts for our renewable energy ambitions
Gov’t signed agreements backing a solar and battery storage facility and a battery manufacturing plant
It looks like we might get a break on the EU’s carbon tax
EXCLUSIVE- The European Union looks set to give Egyptian exports an exemption from its carbon…
Egypt secures EU carbon tax reprieve until 2027
Good afternoon, friends, and welcome to the start of another workweek. To start you off,…
Acwa Power Egypt Country Director Hassan Amin on why desalination is about a whole lot more than addressing water scarcity
We are the largest producer of desalinated water in the world and would like to…
Commodities
Egyptian-regasified natural gas starts heading to Lebanon and Syria
This plays into Egypt’s efforts to position itself as the premier energy hub in the…
Gov’t secures cheaper LNG cargoes
Good morning, friends. We have a packed issue for you this morning. And continuing with…
Egypt pivots to direct supply deals as oil hedges lose their luster
Good afternoon, friends. We hope you’re surviving the dusty weather. On the docket today: Egypt…
Egypt balks at new ‘Israel-first’ conditions in USD 35 bn natural gas deal
Israel inserted new conditions to give itself wide-ranging powers to slash exports to Egypt to…
Construction
Of app-ification, golden licenses, and Egyptian banks in Iraq
PLUS: Mansour Auto, China’s Deli Group get golden licenses
My Morning Routine: Ahmed El Attal, chairman of El Attal Holding
Unlike some others in the sector, wearing a suit and tie doesn’t stop me from…
Hassan Allam lands USD 250 mn Afreximbank African Trade Center contract — will it unlock more funding for Egypt?
The Afreximbank African Trade Center will be the bank’s largest complex to date and will…
Elsewedy eyes the Gulf, SCZone locks in solar + pharma, and Sinai tourism investors catch a break
Elsewedy’s USD 500 mn GCC push Elsewedy Electric plans to establish nine facilities in Saudi…
Development Finance
Global Corp, GB Lease close fresh securitization issuances
IFC anchors big Global Corp securitization + GB Lease closes new tranche We saw a…
Global Corp, GB Lease close fresh securitization issuances
IFC anchors big Global Corp securitization + GB Lease closes new tranche We saw a…
Gov’t seeking north of USD 6 bn in “high-impact” investment to build reserves buffer
The sale program comes as officials look to build FX reserves to USD 55-56 bn…
Alam El Roum’s proceeds played a big part in paving the way for IMF review approvals
Proceeds were split between paying down debt and bolstering reserves following a blueprint laid out…
E-commerce
How online-to-offline strategies are reshaping retail
What looks like a business model is actually a marketing strategy to drive footfall
The guide to getting a good bargain
💰 If there’s anything every single person on the planet can agree on, it’s this:…
Meet our founder of the week: Kenzz’s Ahmad Atef
We wanted to build an e-commerce platform that catered to the masses — local and…
Nahdet Misr to set up USD 100 mn waste-to-energy plant?
PLUS- Evolve Investment Holding plans to launch four to five new gold investment funds in…
Education
Business for Teens closes six-figure pre-seed to fuel expansion
Founder Nadeem Barakat tells us how the company plans to automate mentorship and why the…
Meet Tribe founder Roba El Gindy
“Tribe is the village that it takes to raise a child”
CIRA Global Ventures invests to grow Falcon Academy into a prominent K-12 platform for schools in the US
The greatest narratives in education are forged not in boardrooms, but in response to profound…
CIRA Global Ventures makes first North American expansion by an Egyptian education group with stake in Falcon Academy
The platform was recently established to serve Arab and Asian diaspora communities in Washington, DC…
Energy
El Garhy family is after an additional 5% of EFG Holding
PLUS- B.Tech unit closes EGP 1.8 bn securitized bond issuance
US oil tankers move towards Venezuela + Greenland tensions rise
🎄 Good afternoon, friends, and Merry Christmas. It’s a cool, breezy day — both literally…
Our East Med energy hub play gets another shot in the arm
A pact to supply natural gas and petroleum products to Syria is the latest in…
LNG imports to dip this month thanks to strong inventory, improving domestic production
The government is looking to diversify import sources at competitive prices
Finance
The pros and cons of Egypt’s new real estate investment options
Rising prices and technological innovation have created new pathways to property ownership
Pure Dive secures NBE, CIB financing for Egypt’s first chlorine tablet factory
CIB and NBE will provide over 70% of the USD 39 mn investment for the…
Gov’t extends subsidized loan program to support industry, agriculture, renewables
Loans offered under the program will come at a 15% interest rate
Avanz Capital backs Algebra Ventures’ Fund II
The move marks “one of the first secondary LP investments in Egypt”
Fintech
Valu gets regulatory green light to start operations in Jordan
Former Jordanian Investment Minister Mothanna Gharaibeh will serve as chairman of Valu Jordan
Everything you need to know about Thndr’s plans ahead of its regional expansion
Thndr is now in the UAE, eyeing KSA, and is launching its own real estate…
Maersk returns to the Red Sea, EFG Hermes advises on Kuwait IPO, and EBRD gives Alexbank green financing
Maersk vessels are slowly making their way back to Red Sea waters Shipping giant Maersk’s…
What’s really happening with that MTO for Alexandria Containers?
AD Ports previously bought a 19.3% stake in ALCN from the Saudi Egyptian Investment Company
Food
How pop-ups became a fixture of Cairo’s food scene
Across Cairo, an increasing number of pop-up dining concepts have drawn attention from food lovers…
Asian done simply at Chubby Lee
Simplicity isn’t a cop-out — it’s a challenge that they choose to face head on
A warm guide to winter’s sweetest treats
☕ Come Egyptian winters, the unyielding need for warmth follows — it’s just the law…
A Mediterranean maze of flavor
Beyond the food, Maze offers an entirely new dining experience — one that’s heavy on…
Healthcare
Egyptian-led Oasys Health raises USD 4.6 mn to build the data backbone for mental health
Oasys represents a shift away from consumer wellness apps and toward a system that brings…
Suez Canal puts in USD 85 mn tugboat order as traffic picks up + procurement authority launches export push
PLUS: Unified Procurement Authority moves to centralize healthcare procurement
Maridive Offshore Projects lands USD 10.2 mn Qatari contract
PLUS- Beltone Holding mulls acquiring a UAE-based company owned by a Chimera Investment sister company
My Morning Routine: Mohamed Elshabrawy, CEO and co-founder of SehaTech
I believe that healthcare coverage should be mandatory — it’s not a luxury, it’s as…
Infrastructure
Garghoub is now a Special Economic Zone — here is what that means for investors
Plus: A major overhaul at GOEIC to slash customs times
Egypt eyes shipbuilding megadeal
The move ties in with a USD 2 bn project to shift the canal from…
A regulator for logistics zones, an uptick in remittances, and a Taj-branded Continental Hotel
PLUS: IEE is acquiring two smart infrastructure companies
Mohamed Mansour + Mansour Group say goodbye to London
PLUS: CAF announces bigger Afcon prize pool as group stage matches kick off
Hospitality + Tourism
62 consortiums are interested in managing, developing Hurghada Airport
Consortiums have until mid-February to pre-qualify
2025 marked the end of Egypt’s tourism recovery and the start of its buildout
Egypt welcomed some 18.8 mn tourists in 2025, up nearly 20% y-o-y
Live restoration of King Khufu’s second solar boat begins at the GEM
The vessel is made of 1.6k pieces
Among 2025’s top 10 archeological discoveries: King Thutmose II’s tomb
Archeology Magazine gave a nod to the discovery of King Thutmose II’s tomb in its…
Law
My Morning Routine: Nermine Tahoun, founder and managing partner at Tahoun Law Firm
Tahoun exists to help investors operate in Egypt and navigate between the private sector and…
KB Denim to set up USD 300 mn factory
PLUS- Qalaa Holding’s ASEC Cement has won an international arbitration case against Algerian company Zahna…
Al Tamimi’s Ayman Nour on the ways AI is reshaping the legal sector
Just like we all learned multiplication tables and manual calculations — now everything is done…
Cairo’s MFDP partners with top UK law firm
Cross-border dispute resolution is at the heart of the combined offering
Manufacturing
More Chinese players make a home out of SCZone
The projects include two solar component factories
GRANITE to launch a real estate investment fund
PLUS- Alamein Silicon complex secures financing and Granite says it will launch a real estate…
How Egypt’s book industry survives without market data, infrastructure, or stability
This is the paradox of the Egyptian market: it is structurally fragile, but culturally invincible
A unified front?
For the first time, the FEI board will include high-ranking government officials in a move…
Media
Revamp of entertainment tax to spare cinema, theater from tax increases
Not everyone in the entertainment sector will be spared, with tax increases for certain types…
Meet Peace Cake’s Marwan Imam
Peace Cake is one of Egypt’s leading digital production agencies — and then some
A 75-year history of Egyptian-Iranian drama
📚 Recently published at the Cairo International Book Fair by Jusoor Publishing, Dr. Mohamed Mohsen…
The 56th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair
MARK YOUR CALENDAR- 📚 It’s time for the country’s largest book fair. The Cairo International…
Microfinance
El Sisi ratifies new Criminal Procedures Law
PLUS- Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaty met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara yesterday
Edge Holding to acquire 30% of Basata Microfinance
Edge will take on management duties to support Basata’s nationwide expansion
FRA extends suspension on issuing new licenses for microfinance, consumer finance players
PLUS- Beit Logistics earmarks EGP 500 mn for Safaga Logistics Center
Halan closes EGP 3.4 bn securitization issuance
The issuance is the company’s fourth under a EGP 8 bn program
Mining
Egypt to host a pan-African gold bank under MoU with Afreximbank
Good morning, friends, and happy new year. It’s been a long and busy 12 months,…
A pan-African gold bank?
The bank will allow regional producers to capture additional value-added earnings from their gold
Why gold is still a structural hedge for Egyptian households
Until the EGP can compete with the psychological security of the bullion, capital will remain…
CBE and Afreximbank ink MoU to study pan-African gold bank and accredited Egyptian refinery
Good afternoon, friends, 2026 is around the corner and the headlines are matching the pace…
NBFS
Egyptians embrace digital-first, health-focused food shopping -PwC
Findings from PwC’s 2025 Voice of the Consumer report
Walid Hassouna on Valu’s 9M earnings, expansion, and more
The fintech giant saw its net income more than double y-o-y during the first nine…
Contact Financial’s net income falls 44% y-o-y in 9M 2025
Weaker profitability in both the financing and ins. divisions weighed on the bottom line
Valu closes third EGP 735 mn securitization under new program
The sale comprises two fixed-rate tranches
Outsourcing
Deloitte Innovation Hub has big investment plans for Egypt
PLUS- Almarai subsidiary Beyti inaugurated five new production lines at its Nubaria factory
39 global digital services providers look to use Egypt as their main base of operations
Offshoring export revenues have doubled from USD 2.4 bn in 2022 to USD 4.8 bn…
Foundever opens customer experience center in Luxor
PLUS- Denmark’s Scan Global Logistics launches a new head office in Cairo
BP inks MoU to drill five gas wells in the Mediterranean
PLUS- Homegrown Prime Group and Oman’s Afouq have launched an artificial intelligence and advanced technologies…
Private Equity
Gourmet files to go public on the EGX
B Investments owns 53% of Gourmet
Gourmet files to go public on the EGX
B Investments owns 53% of Gourmet
The self-sale era
One in five PE exits in 2025 used continuation vehicles, with advisers estimating USD 100-107…
Gulf investors ❤️ stocks heading into 2026, as private equity suffers from “illiquidity premium”
Most investors are demanding the highest returns from private equity compared to other asset classes
Real Estate
Orascom Construction secures EGP 15 bn Ras El Hekma contract
Good morning, wonderful people, and Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating this morning. We hope you’re…
Sawiris’ HOF eyes Bugatti Rimac
PLUS- Suez Canal Authority secured EGP 1 bn grant from the Japan International Cooperation Agency
The startup behind Egypt’s first digital mortgage is getting traction with users — and is eyeing an EGP 2.5 bn raise
Co-founder Ibrahim Safwat is staking out his ground before a national digital registry sees the…
Tarek Tantawy to head Al Futtaim’s unified Egypt operations
For Palm Hills, Tantawy’s departure leaves a significant gap in the C-suite
SMEs
Meet Farah Abdelhamid, founder of FforFarah
While she is often referred to as founder and creative director, Farah Abdelhamid calls herself…
Meet Marina Abdel Shahid: founder and creative director of Nebet
Nebet is an Egyptian fashion brand inspired by and rooted in Ancient Egyptian history and…
Food entrepreneur Jalal Abu Ghazaleh on cracking the US export market
Given the rigorous FDA standards, logistics costs, and competitiveness of US retail, Abu Ghazaleh’s story…
FinMin to allocate EGP 10 bn to startups and entrepreneurs in 2026
Good afternoon, friends. Congratulations on another workweek done and dusted. THE BIG STORY TODAY- 📍2026…
Sports
Man City and Newcastle go head-to-head in Carabao Cup semifinals
⚽ It is a busy day of cup clashes, headlined by the first leg of…
Barcelona crowned Spanish Super Cup champions + Liverpool takes the field
⚽ It’s a relatively calm day on the football fields, with no major matchups scheduled.…
The Pharaohs make it to AFCON semifinals + all eyes on El Clásico
⚽ The Pharaohs walked off the field with their heads held high after a decisive…
French Super Cup decider + Liverpool vs. Arsenal
⚽ We’re in for some serious football action over the next few days. Algeria and…
Tech
Egypt closed 69 VC transactions last year, the most among its African peers
The country secured USD 304 mn in VC funding in 2025, down 11% y-o-y
The Great Deepfake of 2026
These privacy violations are just the tip of the iceberg, and perhaps a sign that…
A year in review: AI, KPop Demon Hunters, and 6-7
This was a year that rewarded speed and punished anyone who blinked
Fortress mode
AI funding surged to USD 150 bn in 2025, driven by a narrow cluster of…
Telecoms
Generosity from Canada + network quality awards for Vodafone Egypt
Plus: Vodafone Egypt gets another award for network quality
Setting the standard for network resilience in Egypt
In an increasingly digital economy, connectivity is no longer a convenience; it’s a lifeline. From…
Beyond connectivity: Vodafone’s big-ticket commitment sets a new standard for accessibility in Egypt on the International Day of People with Disabilities.
On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Vodafone unveils a three-pronged initiative that significantly…
A USD 2.4 bn waste recycling plant?
PLUS- Telecom Egypt expects to fully settle its outstanding debts over the next four to…
Trade + Logistics
SCA welcomes a new board for the new year
In a decree issued on New Year’s Day, Chairman Osama Rabie refreshed his board
Welcome to the express lane for customs
Changes now in the works signal the Finance Ministry is serious about a trust-based customs…
Finance Ministry targets freezone backdoors in major structural tax overhaul
Companies in freezones could soon face a 4-5% tax on products sold locally
We established foothold in Ethiopia’s trade lifeline through Djibouti port pacts
The agreements will give Egypt a foothold in the main sea lanes that landlocked Ethiopia…
Transport
Cabinet greenlights fresh incentives to boost hotel room capacity
PLUS- Kuwaiti investor to develop, manage, and operate a 200-feddan logistics zone in Sadat City?
Cairo-Alexandria freight railway awarded to Egyptian-French consortium
The project is scheduled for launch midway through 2026 and slated for completion in 2030
More details on Alstom’s multi-mn-EUR Borg El Arab complex
The complex will be fully operational before the end of 2026
Breaking down the many agreements signed during day two of TransMEA
The agreements covered ports, railways, and rail