Egypt is targeting up to $1 billion in investment and 200 megawatts of data center capacity under new partnerships involving Vodafone Business, Elsewedy Electric and Cassava Technologies, as the country seeks to expand its digital infrastructure and artificial intelligence capabilities. The announcements were made in the presence of Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi and include the establishment of Africa Data Centres Egypt and a separate partnership between Vodafone Business and Cassava Technologies to develop Egypt’s first sovereign AI factory. Under the Africa Data Centres Egypt project, the partners plan to deploy an initial 20 MW of data…
Author: Rana Salem
Egypt saw a sharp rise in new business formation in the first half of 2026, even as the capital flowing into newly established companies declined. According to the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade’s latest Investment Trends in Egypt report, 26,525 new companies were established between January and June, up 19.9% from 22,131 in the same period of 2025. However, total capital inflows fell 28.2% year-on-year to $2.6 billion, from $3.6 billion. The figures reveal a diverging investment landscape, with services leading new company formation, construction attracting the largest share of capital and several major sectors recording sharp declines in…
A diamond no longer comes with a single definition of value. Consumers can choose between natural stones formed deep within the Earth over millions or billions of years and laboratory-grown diamonds produced through advanced technology. While the two have essentially the same chemical composition and crystal structure, they differ in origin, pricing and market positioning. That distinction is reshaping the industry. Natural diamonds are navigating a prolonged correction following the post-pandemic demand boom, while laboratory-grown diamonds are giving consumers access to larger stones and higher specifications at lower prices. Rather than one replacing the other, the market is increasingly developing…
Egypt’s net international reserves (NIR) rose to a record $57.21 billion at the end of August 2026, according to provisional data released by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) on September 7. The figure was up approximately $920.6 million, or 1.6%, from $56.29 billion at the end of July. It also marked a 16.2% increase from $49.25 billion in August 2025. The latest increase extends the steady growth in Egypt’s foreign currency reserves during 2026, with the country’s reserve buffer rising by $5.76 billion, or 11.2%, since the end of December. Reserves rise $5.8B since January Egypt’s net international reserves…
Egypt’s exports rose 37.4% year-on-year in June, driven by strong growth in petroleum products, ready-made garments and agricultural exports, according to the latest Monthly Bulletin of Foreign Trade Data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). Total exports reached $4.95 billion in June, up from $3.60 billion in the same month of 2025, an increase of $1.35 billion. Non-petroleum exports accounted for the bulk of the total, reaching $4.33 billion, compared with $3.21 billion a year earlier. Broad-based export growth Several key export sectors recorded substantial year-on-year gains. Petroleum products were among the strongest-performing categories, rising 128%…
Egypt’s ready-made garment exports to the United States rose 29% year-on-year to $841 million during the first seven months of 2026, up from $651 million in the same period last year, according to the Apparel Export Council of Egypt (AECE). The $190 million increase made the US Egypt’s largest single market for ready-made garment exports, accounting for approximately 39% of the sector’s total exports between January and July. Egypt’s overall ready-made garment exports reached $2.139 billion during the seven-month period, compared with $1.869 billion a year earlier, representing annual growth of 14%. The US market therefore expanded at more than…
Egypt’s non-oil private sector moved closer to stabilization in August, with the S&P Global Egypt Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising to 49.6, its highest level in seven months, as hiring rebounded and business confidence strengthened despite continued weakness in demand and renewed cost pressures. The seasonally adjusted index rose 2.8 points from 46.8 in July, according to S&P Global’s September 3 PMI release. August’s reading was also 3.6 points above June’s 41-month low of 46.0 and just 0.2 points below January’s 49.8. The PMI remained below the 50.0 mark that separates expansion from contraction, indicating that operating conditions continued to…
Egypt’s trade deficit narrowed 0.3% year-on-year to $3.99 billion in May 2026, marking its first annual decline since September 2025, according to data from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). The deficit stood at $4 billion in May 2025, with export growth outpacing the increase in imports during the month. Exports rose 3.58% year-on-year to $4.53 billion, from $4.37 billion a year earlier. Growth was led by fresh fruits, which jumped 40.3%, while crude oil exports increased 56.4%. Exports of plastics in primary forms and fertilizers rose 29.1% and 9.4%, respectively. Several export categories recorded declines. Shipments…
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has approved a proposal to issue tax certificates, or tax sukuk, that taxpayers could later offset against their future tax liabilities, as the government seeks to diversify financing sources and reduce debt-servicing costs, according to a Presidency statement. Under the proposed mechanism, taxpayers would provide funds to the government in exchange for certificates offering what the Presidency described as a “favorable and suitable yield.” The certificate value would then be deducted from future tax obligations. The proposal was approved during a meeting in New Alamein City attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Finance Minister…
“The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient.” This famous observation, widely attributed to Warren Buffett, feels particularly relevant in Egypt today. With Egyptian investors facing a rapidly expanding array of options, choosing where to allocate capital has become increasingly complex. That complexity comes at a time when preserving purchasing power is paramount, as Egypt’s annual urban inflation rate accelerated to 14.9% in July 2026. Perhaps the most transformative shift in Egypt’s financial ecosystem is that the stock market is no longer just a place to buy individual company shares. Today, the exchange…