Egypt

Higher interest rates following the flotation of the Egyptian pound in 2016 made it costly for businesses and individuals to obtain funding from Egyptian banks. The depreciation of the currency also raised input costs for businesses and reduced their ability to expand operations, thereby reducing demand for funding to cover capital expenditure...

The first cryptocurrency transaction in history was feted in just two words: “Running Bitcoin”. This came in the form of a tweet on January 11, 2009 by Hal Finney, a US software developer. Some 10 years and over 1600 initial coin offerings later, the world of crypto-, virtual and other digital currencies looks to have provoked an active...

Since the country embarked on an ambitious IMFbacked economic reform programme in November 2016 the government has placed a strong emphasis on infrastructure and construction as a key engine of urban growth and financial stability. In the FY 2019/20 budget LE140bn ($8.6bn) was earmarked to obtain new resources, develop infrastructure, and...

The outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020 brought disruption to all sectors of the economy, and the real estate market was no exception. While the full impact of the pandemic remains to be seen, the real estate sector is likely to experience difficulties in the shorter term as state funds are redirected to tackling the crisis. However, the...

In recent years infrastructure and real estate development have been important growth drivers for the construction industry, and the government has highlighted the need for private investment to take on a larger role in the sector. Indeed, much of the growth in construction activity has been accelerated by the private sector, as a result of...