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Egypt

Oil will cushion Middle East from economic impact of Ukraine war

The war in Ukraine will sharply reduce economic growth in the Central Asian region in 2022, but higher oil prices will partly cushion the blow for the Middle East and North Africa, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday. Both regions, however, will feel the impact of surging commodity prices, the IMF said, warning higher […]

Egypt seeks private sector participation in state-owned assets

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ordered the government to set a program for the private sector’s participation in state-owned assets, with a target of $10 billion annually for four years, state TV quoted him as saying on Tuesday. The broadcaster did not mention any other details about the method of participation. The Egyptian president also […]

ADQ buys stakes worth $1.85bn in Egyptian firms

Abu Dhabi’s state holding company ADQ bought shares worth $1.85 billion in five publicly traded Egyptian companies in April, helping Egypt after the Ukraine crisis prompted foreign investors to flee.  Egypt has been on the hunt for foreign exchange since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted investors to pull billions of dollars out of its treasury […]

Abu Dhabi bank FAB withdraws offer for Egypt’s EFG Hermes

First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB) has withdrawn its offer for a controlling stake in Egyptian investment bank EFG Hermes, citing global market uncertainty. FAB’s non-binding offer in February to buy at least 51 percent of EFG Hermes, valuing Egypt’s biggest investment bank at nearly $1.2 billion, could have secured access to EFG’s strong franchise in […]

Egypt current account deficit narrows to $3.8bn

Egypt’s current account deficit narrowed to $3.8 billion in the October-December quarter from $4.85 billion in the same period a year earlier, boosted by a jump in tourism, the central bank said in balance of payments figures released on Thursday. The figures also showed a sharp outflow of portfolio investment, which shrank to a deficit […]

EU plans to counter Russia with food diplomacy in North Africa, Middle East

The EU aims to address rising wheat and fertilizer prices and expected shortages in the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East with “food diplomacy” to counter Russia’s narrative on the impact of its Ukraine invasion, EU diplomats and officials say. Food insecurity was causing “resentment” in vulnerable countries in these regions, while Moscow was […]

Egypt’s urban inflation accelerates to 10.5%

Egypt’s annual urban consumer price inflation accelerated in March to 10.5 percent, its highest in nearly three years and faster than analysts had expected, data from the state statistics agency CAPMAS showed on Sunday. The inflation figure, up from 8.8 percent in February, was greater than a median forecast of 10 percent in a Reuters […]

Egypt’s foreign reserves drop by $4bn on Ukraine war shock

The March reserves figure should have included a $5 billion deposit that Saudi Arabia said it placed with Egypt’s central bank just before the end of March, indicating that the scope of the strain on reserves had been even greater. The pressure on the currency prompted the central bank to devalue the pound by 14 […]

Egypt’s wheat imports from Russia rose in March despite war

Egypt received 479,195 tonnes of wheat from Russia in March, up 24 percent from the same month last year, according to freight data seen by Reuters. Ukrainian wheat imports stood at 124,500 tonnes, down 42 percent year-on-year. “Russian ports remained open,” said Mohammed El Gammal, a Cairo-based grains consultant for the UN Food and Agriculture […]

Egypt private sector activity shrinks as Ukraine war takes toll

Activity in Egypt’s non-oil private sector shrank in March at its fastest since the earlymonths of the coronavirus pandemic as fallout from the Russian invasion of Ukraine hit businesses and fuelled costs, a survey showed on Tuesday. The S&P Global Egypt Purchasing Managers’ Index slid to 46.5 from February’s 48.1, its 16th month below the […]

Egypt’s net foreign assets turned sharply negative in February

Egyptian net foreign assets (NFAs) went sharply negative in February, declining by 60 billion Egyptian pounds ($3.29 billion) to minus EP 50.3 billion, central bank data showed on Sunday. It was their fifth month of declines. An outflow of foreign currency helped prompt the central bank to devalue the pound by 14 percent on March […]

Egypt plans to issue first sovereign sukuk

Egypt plans to issue its first sovereign sukuk before the end of the current fiscal year ending in June, Finance Minister Mohamed Maiit said in a statement onSaturday. Maait also said that Egypt plans to tap the Japanese market by offering new issues in the future. Last month, Egypt issued 60 billion yen ($489.84 million) […]

Saudi Arabia deposits $5bn in Egypt’s central bank

Saudi Arabia has deposited $5 billion in Egypt’s central bank, the Saudi state news agency reported on Wednesday, and the kingdom is expected to invest further as the Ukraine war adds to the pressure on the Egyptian economy. Last week Egypt said it was in talks with the International Monetary Fund for potential funds and […]