Good morning, friends. We have a brisk read for you this morning, led by Egypt's plans for a customs system overhaul, as well as natural gas supply chains updates from across the region.
Up first: The Egyptian Finance Ministry is weighing an overhaul of its customs structure, targeting 150 production inputs for tariff slashes of 10\u201330%. The move aims to back local industry by fixing long-standing customs distortions that favored foreign goods over local assembly. This protectionist push is a cornerstone of the state's ambitious target to raise industry\u2019s contribution to GDP from 14% to 20% by 2030.<\/p>\n
On the natural gas supply chains front, <\/strong>we take a look at Egypt\u2019s shift toward a toll-booth gas hub model. With domestic production stagnating, the strategy now leans heavily on Egypt\u2019s unique status as a regional middleman, utilizing its 2.8 bcf\/d regasification capacity to route gas from neighbors like Israel and Cyprus to regional markets. This is similar to Turkey\u2019s re-export strategy that targets Europe. <\/p>\n ALSO:<\/strong> The UAE continues its global energy expansion, with Adnoc\u2019s XRG securing an equity stake in the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) \u2014 an integrated gas supply chain project including the South Caucasus Pipeline, the Trans Anatolian Pipeline, and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline. The move signals a broader play for European energy markets, aiming to capitalize on SGC\u2019s pipeline infrastructure transporting Caspian natural gas through Turkey to European markets. <\/p>\n \n The big logistics story abroad<\/p>\n <\/a>Elon Musk is <\/strong>merging<\/a><\/strong> SpaceX with xAI<\/strong>, creating a USD 1.25 tn venture, people in the know told Bloomberg<\/a>. The move sets the stage for Musk to carry out his plan of setting up data centers in the planet\u2019s orbit \u2014 he claims that space will be the cheapest place for AI computing in two to three years. Properties formerly owned by xAI \u2014 Grok chatbot and X.com \u2014 now fall<\/a> under SpaceX\u2019s umbrella.<\/p>\n The world\u2019s richest man still intends to take SpaceX public this year<\/strong>, in an IPO that could see the company raise as much as USD 50 bn, a source told Bloomberg. <\/p>\n AND- Our usual dose of global trade updates: <\/strong>US President Donald Trump has agreed<\/a> to trim punitive tariffs on India on the condition that New Delhi stops buying Russian oil, reducing the levies from 25% to 18%. India will slash its levies on Washington down to zero. After a phone call with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Trump said New Delhi has agreed to buy more oil from Venezuela as well as upwards of USD 500 bn in US energy and other products.<\/p>\n \n Happening today<\/p>\n The<\/strong><\/a><\/strong>Middle East Bunkering Convention<\/a><\/strong> kicks off today in Dubai<\/strong>, bringing together marine fuel suppliers, shipowners, and energy traders to navigate a volatile period for regional shipping. We expect the two-day event to focus heavily on the Red Sea\u2019s impact on refueling patterns and the UAE\u2019s accelerating transition toward LNG and ammonia bunkering. <\/p>\n \n Watch this space<\/p>\n <\/a> M&As \u2014 Mubadala to back USD 10 bn buyout of Singapore data giant: <\/strong>Mubadala and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund GIC are in talks to join KKR & Co and Singapore Telecommunications in their bid to purchase ST Telemedia Global Data Centres<\/a> (STT GDC) \u2014 a Singapore-based data center operator \u2014 in a transaction that could value the operator at above USD 10 bn, Bloomberg<\/a> reports, citing sources it says are in the know. The sovereign wealth funds would back the bid as minority co-investors. More details could be announced later this week, the sources said.<\/p>\n STT GDC is a global data center player that operates over 100 facilities across 20 <\/strong>countries.<\/strong> KKR and Singapore Telecommunications became minority owners in the firm after securing a USD 1.3 bn stake last year.<\/p>\n \n <\/strong><\/a> ZONES \u2014 Egypt\u2019s General Authority for Investment and Freezones is <\/strong>ramping up the full-scale operation of its unified investment licensing platform,<\/strong> a move intended to be the final nail in the coffin for the multiple-window red tape that has long plagued the local business environment. Following a pilot phase that began in mid-2025, the platform<\/a> has now moved into a broader rollout as the state\u2019s primary interface for securing operational approvals, according to an authority statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gone are the days of having to trudge from ministry or authority building to another to <\/strong>get a project over the line<\/strong> \u2014 they say \u2014 with the portal centralizing inputs from 41 different government entities into a single online gateway. The platform is designed to act as a unified digital window for 460 different services, including the various licenses, approvals, and permits required to launch and operate economic activities.<\/p>\n The authority is also doubling down on a reduced turnaround time<\/strong>, committing to issuing final licenses within a maximum of 20 business days, provided all necessary documentation is correctly submitted.<\/p>\n Why it matters:<\/strong> The often overwhelming maze of government institutions, red tape, and delays has been flagged as one of the main frustrations of investors \u2014 both foreign and local \u2014 for as far as we can remember. If the platform really can enforce a 20-day turnaround across 41 separate bureaucracies and work as it should, the improvement to the ease of doing business could have a significant impact on investment flows.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next? <\/strong>Investors will be eager to see if the platform can really offer what it promises. Getting 41 government entities to all work together effectively and efficiently to meet a 20-day turnaround will be no easy feat, and there\u2019s always the risk that minor documentation correction requests and other tactics by government clerks may spring up as a way to get around the 20-day deadline.<\/p>\n \n Market watch<\/p>\n Oil prices dipped this morning on the back of possible de-escalation in US-Iran tensions <\/strong>and weakening greenback<\/strong>, Reuters<\/a> reports. Brent crude futures were down USD 0.34 to trade at USD 65.96 \/ bbl as of 06:23 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) decreased by USD 0.31 to USD 61.81 \/ bbl. The dip is in line with Monday\u2019s trading sessions' trend that saw oil prices plummet by over 4%. <\/p>\n \n The Baltic Index dips: <\/strong>The Baltic Exchange\u2019s dry bulk sea freight index \u2014 which tracks rates for the capesize, panamax, and supramax vessel segments \u2014 declined 1.1%<\/a> to 2,124 points on Monday, buoyed by weaker demand for the bigger segment. The capesize dipped 2% to 3,434 points, while the panamax index rose 0.3% to 1,748. Meanwhile, the smaller supramax index gained 0.5% to hit 1,072. <\/p>\n The roundup of news and trends that move your markets and shape corporate agendas delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n Subscribe here<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n ***<\/strong>YOU\u2019RE READING EnterpriseAM Logistics, the essential MENA publication for senior <\/strong>execs who care about the industry that connects producers and retailers to global markets. <\/strong>We\u2019re out Monday through Thursday by 9:15am in Cairo and Riyadh and 11:15am in the UAE.<\/p>\n EnterpriseAM Logistics is available without charge <\/strong>thanks to the generous support of our friends at Hassan Allam Utilities, Transmar, and AK-Ships.<\/p>\n Were you forwarded this email? <\/strong>Tap or click here<\/a> to get your own copy of Enterprise Logistics.<\/p>\n Want to send us a story idea<\/strong>, request coverage, ask for a correction, or otherwise get in touch? Reach out to us on logistics@enterprisemea.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n DID YOU KNOW <\/strong>that we also cover Egypt<\/a>, Saudi Arabia<\/a>, and the UAE<\/a><\/a> ***<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What we\u2019re tracking this morning regionally and around the world<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":92871,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"_primary_brand":0,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[980],"tags":[110,49,17,137,129,16,21],"brand":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"class_list":["post-92870","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-what-were-tracking-today-2","tag-data-centers","tag-egypt","tag-enterprise-logistics","tag-ma-watch","tag-uae","tag-what-were-tracking-today","tag-zones","wpautop","entry"],"acf":{"mongo_id":"185e4337-b439-4597-a708-2295b8e2ca9b","order":"2","is_powered_by":false,"story_type":"4","photo_url":"https:\/\/ent.news\/2026\/2\/205.jpg","photo_position":"above","homepage_title":"","full_issue_title":"TODAY: Egypt is overhauling customs to give local industry a fighting chance","related_issue":[92868],"teaser":"What we\u2019re tracking this morning regionally and around the world"},"yoast_head":"\n
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