CAIRO - 28 April 2026: Egypt’s Central Bank is preparing to launch a new financial inclusion strategy for 2026 to 2030 by mid-year, as the country continues to expand access to banking services and scale up financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Sherif Lokman, Deputy Governor for Financial Inclusion, said the upcoming strategy will build on strong gains achieved in recent years, particularly in expanding access to financial services and supporting business growth.
He said SME and microenterprise financing remains a core pillar of the Central Bank’s approach, given its role in driving economic growth, employment, and productivity.
Total SME lending in the banking sector has reached about LE 630 billion, with nearly 50 percent of the portfolio, around LE 315 billion, linked to companies that have grown into larger enterprises.
Bank financing for SMEs and microenterprises increased 390 percent between December 2015 and December 2025.
Over the past five years, SME lending rose 71 percent, while microenterprise financing increased 112 percent, small enterprises 85 percent, and medium enterprises 36 percent.
Microfinance also recorded strong growth, reaching about LE 107 billion by end-2025, compared with around LE 6 billion several years earlier. The number of beneficiaries rose to around 5 million clients.
Egypt’s financial inclusion rate climbed to 77.6 percent of citizens aged 15 and above, equivalent to about 55 million people out of 70.5 million, compared with fewer than 15 million in 2015.
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