The oil price decline that began in the second half of 2014 has dampened enthusiasm for initial public offerings (IPOs) across the MENA region. The mechanics of this trend are straightforward: oil sales account for the bulk of government revenues in the majority of the region’s hydrocarbon-rich economies, and, as allocation of these revenues...
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 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.
Despite strenuous economic circumstances in recent years, Egyptian banks displayed a relatively robust performance in 2016 in terms of profitability, which has, in turn, led to a jump in credit for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups. While healthy sector numbers and regulatory reforms have helped foster an increase in...
Consistently posting robust financial stability data, Egypt’s banking sector has shown itself capable of weathering difficult economic circumstances over recent years. However, profitability has been challenged by a range of forces, including significant changes made in 2016 to the regulatory framework surrounding lending activity and a...
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