Latest in Banking Highlight
Latest in Banking

Misr Financial Investments Company contracts with Hermes, HSBC to offer its Banque du Caire share on EGX
The company will remain the owner of the ruling share in the bank after the offering, says prominent banker

33 banks offer investments worth EGP 278.85bn in CBE’s deposit operation
Thirty-three banks operating in the domestic market offered investments worth EGP 278.85bn of surplus liquidity in local currency via deposit operations, which was deposited by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) on Tuesday, according to data obtained by Daily News Egypt. The CBE performs this deposit operation every Tuesday, in order to absorb excess liquidity …

State banks boost their investment in treasury bills by EGP 13.8bn in July: CBE
Banking sector accounts for 77% of total outstanding balances of bills

Household sector accounts for 62.8% of total deposits at banks in July
This sector’s deposits increased by EGP 8.849bn and EGP 2.729bn in foreign currencies

Deutsche Bank surprises with first profit in months
Germany’s biggest commercial lender has posted an unexpected profit in the third quarter as it struggles to avoid a multi-billion dollar fine in the US and amid nagging doubts about its capital reserves.

Private sector acquire 59.5% of total credit facilities granted by banks to customers through July: CBE
Deposits increase by EGP 15.4bn, including EGP 12.8bn in local currency

Delegation of Chinese investors meet with NBE officials to discuss investment opportunities in Egypt
The bank has invited the delegation to invest in a number of projects and companies owned by the bank

CBE launches its regular auction with $120m, fixes US dollar at EGP 8.78
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) launched on Tuesday its regular weekly auction to sell US dollars to banks with the value of $120m. The auction fixed the US dollar exchange rate at EGP 8.78; as a result, banks will sell it at EGP 8.88. According to Osama El-Menilawy, the assistant general manager of the …

World’s oldest bank unveils rescue plan details
Troubled Italian lender Monte Paschi has said it would cut thousands of jobs and close hundreds of branches as it continued its efforts to get on its feet again.

NBE allocates €500m for financing private sector projects: chairperson
The bank has provided loans worth EGP 24.6bn for SMEs, with more than 47,000 projects having benefited, says Okasha

Outstanding balance of treasury bonds reaches EGP 753bn end of September: Finance Ministry
Bonds worth $3bn will be repaid by 17 December, while other bonds worth $3.5bn are set to be repaid in the period between 1 June 2017 and 29 April 2040

FEB declares definitive rejection of applying, registering under VAT Law: board member
The federation sent a memo to the CBE, detailing the banks’ rejection to registering under VAT, in preparation to discuss the issue with the Finance Ministry, says Tantawy

Banks working to prevent customer manipulation on electronic payment cards abroad
New controls and shortening limits on card usage are being implemented to maintain the state’s foreign exchange

US dollar shortage negatively affects banks financing import operations, lending to projects with a foreign component
The US dollar shortage has negatively affected banks’ activities that are related to financing imports and lending to projects that include a foreign component, according to Amr Tantawy, managing director of Misr Iran Development Bank (MIDB) and board member of the Federation of Egyptian Banks’ (FEB) board of directors. Tantawy told Daily News Egypt that banks’ activities are divided between local and foreign trading …

NBE reduces foreign exchange cash limit for travelling customers
The bank provides cash for foreign exchange only on condition of reviewing customers’ travel documents

CBE launches its regular auction with $120m, fixes US dollar at EGP 8.78
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) launched Tuesday its regular weekly auction to sell US dollars to banks, asserting that it is not intending to launch any exceptional auctions. With a value of $120m, the auction fixed the US dollar exchange rate at EGP 8.78; as a result, banks will sell it at EGP 8.88. …

Egyptian bankcards used to complete $2.5bn worth of transactions abroad in FY 2015/2016
Banks have received clear instructions to suspend cards that are being misused, says CBE deputy governor

Banque Misr requires customers to provide travel documents to use cards abroad
These new controls are designed to prevent cards abuse, says bank chairperson

5 banks in Egypt account for 71.47% of banking sector’s total profits as of June: CBE
The sheer capital of banks amounts to EGP 100.72bn, with the top 10 banks acquiring 55.9%

Banque Misr aims to boost SME loan portfolio to EGP 30bn in next few years
Banque Misr aims to increase the size of its small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) loans to reach EGP 30bn in the next few years, in line with the initiative launched by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) earlier this year. The initiative was launched in support of these projects, boosting the size of their loans …

NBE aims to increase SMEs loan portfolio to 70bn in 4 years
The National Bank of Egypt (NBE) aims to increase the size of loans granted to small- and medium–sized enterprises to EGP 70bn over four years, according to the bank’s CEO Hazem Hegazy. Hegazy said that NBE began funding SMEs in 2010, noting that the current size of loans granted to these projects amounts to EGP …

MIDB aims for EGP 350m in profits by end of year: managing director Amr Tantawi
As FEB representative and newly-appointed EGX board member, Tantawi will coordinate between officials in the capital market and other related sectors

CBE vows to ‘punish’ banks lagging behind in SME support
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) vowed to punish banks that lagged behind on the implementation of the initiative launched earlier this year to support the financing of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The CBE had earlier committed banks to grant no less than 20% of total loans to SMEs over four years. CBE sub-governor …

Issued credit cards increase to 3.8m at June’s close: CBE
The number of credit cards at banks operating in the Egyptian market increased to about 3.825m cards as of the end of June, compared to 3.28m cards in December 2015—an increase of 545,000 cards, according to the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). The CBE said in a recent report that the number of debit cards …

Non-performing loans fall to 5.9% as of end of June: CBE
Private sector accounts for 70.6% of total loans provided by banks to their customers, and loans-to-deposits increase to 44.5%

14 banks inject EGP 4.1bn to finance low- and middle-income housing until end of October: Head of Mortgage Finance Fund
Financial leasing activity amounts to EGP 15bn during the first nine months of 2016, says EFSA Head

CBE fixes pound’s price against US dollar on Tuesday, market still awaiting devaluation
Possibility of launching exceptional auction completed ruled out for now, as the CBE wants to preserve foreign exchange reserves

Banque Du Caire finances purchase of 7,317 residential units within CBE real estate financing initiative
Banque Du Caire purchased 7,317 residential units for low and middle-income segments as part an initiative by the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) launched between February 2014 and September 2016, according to Mounir El-Zahid, chairperson of the bank. El-Zahid explained that there are nearly 4,326 loans already being implemented worth EGP 320m, in addition to …

Bankers rule out floating Egyptian pound before making official request to borrow from IMF
Fund officials say that a flexible exchange rate for the Egyptian pound does not mean flotation

Banque du Caire’s share in joint loans during H1 of 2016 amounts to EGP 8bn: chairperson
The bank is keen to take part in financing different economic sectors to support social and economic development, says El Zahid