Despite having the oldest stock exchange and one of the largest banking sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Egypt has not played a significant role in the precipitous expansion of Islamic finance that has shaken up financial sectors across the region and beyond. Just three banks in the country operate in full accordance with sharia-...
Subsidies have played a significant part in the Egyptian economy since the era of President Gamal Abdel Nasser in the 1950s and 1960s – a time in which numerous Middle Eastern autocracies sought the approval of the populace through the provision of food and other essentials at below-market prices. Sardonically described as the “democracy of bread”...
The effort to secure international funding in the wake of the 2011 uprising has become one of the more salient economic issues for Egypt over the past year. The nation first turned to the IMF in May 2011, with Samir Radwan, then-finance minister, citing the social justice demands of the people in the wake of the revolution as the primary...
The last 18 months have carried Egypt through a radical political transformation. President Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled Egypt for three decades, stepped down amid nationwide protests. Mubarak’s former ruling party, the National Democratic Party, has been dissolved, and for the first time in history, Egyptians participated in fair and free...
One of the most frequent observations made of the Arab Spring throughout the Middle East, particularly in Egypt, has been the performance of religious movements. For many in the West, the triumphs of Al Nahda in Tunisia or that of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) are symbolic of a broader narrative sweeping...
The local labour market has long been viewed with a degree of equivocation by observers, who frequently describe it as both an asset and a potential liability. With 45% of the population between the ages of 15 and 39 and around 200,000 graduates entering the workforce each year, the advantages for domestic and international firms dependent on an...
Stay updated on how some of the world’s most promising markets are being affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, and what actions governments and private businesses are taking to mitigate challenges and ensure their long-term growth story continues.
Register now and also receive a complimentary 2-month licence to the OBG Research Terminal.
Register Here×