The Basel III banking accords mark the latest step in the long process of harmonising financial regulations across markets, but the nature of their focus – and some of the problems they seek to solve – means that their relevance to the Middle East and Africa’s emerging and frontier markets can sometimes be somewhat limited.
In early 2016 the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) introduced new regulations that established maximum loan limits for corporate borrowers and imposed affordability criteria for new retail borrowers.
The Egyptian banking sector faces two diverging trends in terms of liquidity, depending on whether it is being measured in local currency or foreign currency.
While Egypt continues to face considerable economic challenges as it confronts the legacy of its recent political history, at the outset of 2017 the nation’s economic planners have room for optimism. A process of fiscal reform is well under way, a long-awaited legal framework aimed at attracting new investment is almost in place, a...
It has been a long battle, but after years of defending the local currency, the Egyptian government has showed it was willing to end its grip on the pound in 2016, floating the currency after months of speculation. The effects of this decision are likely to be one of the key economic talking points of 2017. As with other significant...
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a crucial role in the Egyptian economy, although a historic lack of definitions and the large size of the informal economy have made it hard for government planners to scale their contribution. “Access to information on the SME sector is a major challenge and, as many operate in the informal...
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