Economy Egypt awaits $1.3bn loan from IMF as review begins The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will conduct its fourth review of Egypt’s loan programme on Tuesday, after which $1.3 billion is expected to be released, Egyptian prime minister Mostafa Madbouly has said. The IMF team will collaborate with officials from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) and various ministries, local media reported, citing Madbouly’s speech […] November 4, 2024
Logistics Egyptian company buys into Neom-backed seaglider United Marine Egypt Shipping will be the launch customer for a large passenger seaglider that is designed to travel at high speeds over water. US maritime transport company Regent said UME will be the first to receive its Monarch seaglider. The Monarch is a 50-to-100-passenger electric craft that Regent says will travel up to 650km […] October 31, 2024
Real Estate Dubai’s bellwether Emaar to report Q3 profit rise Dubai’s Emaar Properties, bellwether of the emirate’s bourse, and its real estate development subsidiary, are likely to report sizeable increases in third-quarter profits versus the preceding three months as margins expand and under-construction projects reach revenue recognition thresholds. Emaar Properties owns 79 percent of Emaar Development and also has hospitality and retail divisions. It is […] October 24, 2024
Video length: 03:31 Video Construction Egypt’s weaker currency attracting foreign real estate investors Egypt’s economic recovery and currency devaluation has resulted in the “rediscovery of the real estate market by foreign investors”, according to the chief of the country’s largest waterfront developer, fuelling price rises in the secondary and tertiary segments. Population growth in the Arab world’s biggest country, and wealth creation in some socioeconomic segments, have also […] October 24, 2024
Energy Egypt slashes renewables target to focus on natural gas Egypt has cut its renewable energy goal for 2040 from 58 percent down to 40 percent and will focus on natural gas in order to meet increasing energy demand, according to Karim Badawi, the minister for petroleum. Before hosting the Cop27 climate conference in 2022, the North African state announced a target of achieving a […] October 22, 2024
Economy Egypt plans bonds drive and may review IMF measures Egypt plans to issue new sukuks and green bonds worth between EGP5 billion ($102.9 million) and EGP10 billion ($205.8 million) before June 2025, the end of its current financial year. The country’s finance minister Ahmed Kouchouk told reporters on Saturday of the ministry’s intentions to issue the new bonds. Earlier in the year Kouchouk spoke […] October 21, 2024
Economy IMF changes debt charges to save Egypt $190m a year Egypt looks set to save up to $190 million a year following changes the International Monetary Fund has made to the charges paid by debtors, an expert has told AGBI. The benefits of this extra cash are likely to be tempered, though, as Egypt faces a significant debt burden and persistent inflation. The IMF announced […] October 17, 2024
Trade Saudi Arabia signs deals worth $15bn with Egypt Egypt and Saudi Arabia provisionally agreed investment deals worth a combined $15 billion following the meeting of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Cairo on Tuesday. Speaking to Al Arabiya TV on Wednesday, the head of the Saudi-Egyptian Business Council, Bandar Al-Ameri, said that the deals include projects in […] October 17, 2024
Oil & Gas Egypt to ramp up gas output from major concessions Egypt is planning to increase natural gas output from major concessions, including its largest field Zohr, petroleum minister Karim Badawi has said. The government intends to increase production at Zohr by drilling new wells starting in the first quarter of 2025, the ministry said in a statement. Average production from the field remained at two […] October 16, 2024
Infrastructure Giza mega station opening drives Egypt’s rail investments The first passenger train arrived on Sunday at the new Upper Egypt Railway Station in Bashteel, Giza, as the country invests in developing its ageing rail network. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El Sisi opened the station on Saturday along with 19 other transport infrastructure projects across the country. The new station is designed to serve […] October 14, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Global car makers expand Egyptian operations Car makers in Egypt are expanding their operations after the conclusion of a long-running currency crisis earlier this year. The devaluation of the Egyptian pound in March has made the country a more attractive proposition both as a consumer market and a base from which to export. Among those who have announced expansion plans since […] October 13, 2024
Construction Egypt’s Forbes Tower has designs on Burj Khalifa records Egypt’s 50-storey Forbes Tower is a self-consciously Dubai-esque development. It will have the world’s tallest central atrium, the fastest elevator, and is due to be the first net-zero tower in the Middle East and North Africa. Magnom Properties, the Egyptian-Saudi-owned developer, plans to spend $1 billion building the 240m tall tower, and has embraced comparisons […] October 11, 2024
Analysis Leisure & Hospitality Infrastructure needed to support Egypt’s tourism ambitions Regional and international hotel operators are keen to expand in Egypt, but the country needs to improve infrastructure such as airports to support its tourism ambitions, industry sources have said. Egypt aims to emulate the high-end hospitality and entertainment development that the UAE and other Gulf countries have pioneered, at the same time bringing in […] October 9, 2024
Food & Drink World’s largest chocolatier plans factory in Egypt The world’s largest producer of chocolate has said it plans to build a $30 million factory in Egypt. Switzerland’s Barry Callebaut is the world’s largest manufacturer of chocolate, with about a 40 percent market share in volume terms, and is the largest processor of cocoa beans with about 20 percent market share. Vamsi Mohan Thati, […] October 7, 2024
Agriculture Egypt’s cotton fields expand as demand grows The amount of land in Egypt devoted to growing cotton has increased by almost a quarter as global demand for the crop rises. The area available nationwide for cotton has expanded by 23 percent from 255,000 acres to 311,700, the Ministry of Agriculture announced. It said 70,584 acres of the land (22 percent) has been […] October 2, 2024
Economy Suez Canal revenues fall by $6bn as unrest continues Suez Canal revenues have fallen by $6 billion this year amid regional geopolitical issues, president Abdel Fattah El Sisi has said. The income from the waterway, connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, declined by between 50 percent and 60 percent in the first eight months of 2024, local media reported, citing the president’s speech at […] September 30, 2024
Analysis Renewable Energy Egypt looks to Gulf investors to end power blackouts Egypt’s energy blackouts have created new opportunities for Gulf investors, as the cash-strapped Cairo government tries to end the crisis and plug the gap in its electricity supply before next summer. Prime minister Mostafa Madbouly announced on September 19 that there would be no more power cuts over the coming period, potentially marking an end […] September 27, 2024
Oil & Gas UAE tops list of tax payments from ExxonMobil US energy giant ExxonMobil paid the UAE $7.4 billion in taxes and royalties last year, more than it paid any other country in the world. From declared annual earnings of almost $41 billion, Exxon paid $49 billion of global tax and duties, including more than $16 billion in income taxes, according to a regulatory filing […] September 26, 2024
Energy Egypt to increase gas imports from Israel Egypt plans to increase natural gas imports from Israel by 20 percent from October, to meet its fast-growing domestic demand for electricity. Imports will reach 1.2 billion cubic feet per day (cfpd), according to reports. They were already up 18 percent in September from 850 million cfpd in July. The two countries have agreed to […] September 24, 2024
Business of Sport Egyptian developer invests $1bn in Saudi sports clubs Egyptian real estate developer Melee will spend SAR4.5 billion ($1.2 billion) to establish three new sports clubs in the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar, according to a company executive. The club in Al Khobar is slated to be first in line for completion before the end of the year, Gasser Bahgat, Melee […] September 24, 2024
Real Estate Dubai’s Emaar pledges Egypt development worth $1 billion Property developer Emaar plans to invest $1 billion in Egypt in the next 12 months, according to a senior executive. Mohamed Alabbar, the Dubai-based company’s founder, shared the news in an interview with an Arabic-language news outlet, saying the new injection of funds by Egyptian affiliate Emaar Misr Development would build on about $20 billion […] September 23, 2024
Finance Egypt to sell United Bank stake next year Egypt’s central bank intends to list the state-run United Bank on the local stock exchange in the first quarter of 2025. The central bank is working to secure approvals from the Financial Regulatory Authority and the Egyptian stock exchange to launch the initial public offering (IPO), the UAE state-run Wam news agency reported. Details of […] September 23, 2024