Egypt’s Minister of Finance, Ahmed Kouchouk, said the Egyptian market has become more attractive to investment, highlighting increased private sector injections across key economic sectors.
Speaking at the 9th Capital Markets Summit, Kouchouk noted a rise in the number of companies operating in the Suez Canal Economic Zone and across various industrial and investment zones, a development that has contributed to the growth and diversification of Egyptian exports.
The minister pointed to new incentives aimed at encouraging large companies to list, register, and invest in the Egyptian Exchange (EGX).
He added that the government is working to ease burdens and obligations through simplified facilitation mechanisms, with the goal of broadening the tax base and improving public services.
Kouchouk emphasized the government’s focus on achieving greater financial inclusion with lower risks and stronger returns, saying that increased demand for securities has recently helped push down interest rates and inflation levels.
He also addressed public interest in improving debt indicators, stressing that this concern is well understood by the government.
“We are working intensively to improve debt indicators for budget entities and are committed to reducing external debt by around $1–2 billion annually,” he said.
The finance minister added that Egypt aims to diversify its financing sources and instruments while extending the maturity of public debt, in order to meet funding needs at the lowest possible cost and over longer repayment periods.
According to Kouchouk, international bond investors have responded very positively to improvements in Egypt’s economic and financial indicators.
Yields on Egypt’s international bonds have declined by around 4%, reflecting lower risk perceptions and rising investor confidence. He confirmed that Egypt is targeting the issuance of $2 billion in international bonds by June 2026.
He further noted strong recent demand for five-year bonds and revealed plans to issue retail bonds for individuals in the coming period. In addition, the cost of credit default swaps (CDS) has fallen sharply, approaching levels seen in countries with higher credit ratings than Egypt.