Cairo, Feb 22, 2026, 11:00 GMT+2 — Regular session
- The EGX30 slipped at the open this week, weighed down by selling in banks and real estate names early on.
- Investors are eyeing the IMF board’s Feb. 25 discussion on Egypt’s loan programme reviews.
- T-bill auctions and the freshly launched Citizen Bond have resurfaced as local funding options.
Egypt’s EGX30 index dropped roughly 2.3% on Sunday, sliding to about 49,485 points early in the session as red ink hit several major sectors, according to market data. Banks posted declines, and real estate names lagged too, while trading volumes had yet to pick up in what is usually a quieter Ramadan session.
Feb. 25 is the date to watch: that’s when the IMF Executive Board is set to review Egypt’s fifth and sixth checks of its Extended Fund Facility, along with the first look at the Resilience and Sustainability arrangement. IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said during a Feb. 19 briefing the meeting “would allow for a disbursement” totaling $2.3 billion—$2.0 billion from the EFF, and nearly $300 million via the RSF. IMF
The focus is back on the usual trio—foreign flows, pound moves, and local yields. After Egypt’s main index hit a fresh high following this month’s central bank rate cut, momentum fizzled. Fast money has gotten tougher to track, and volatility has picked up.
Sellers took charge ahead of Sunday’s trade, with the EGX30 tumbling 2.98% to finish at 50,667.67 points on Feb. 19. Data from the Egyptian Exchange—picked up by local media—showed Arab and non-Arab foreign investors pulled a combined 6.504 billion Egyptian pounds from the market.
The currency is still under strain. In a Feb. 20 note, MUFG’s Soojin Kim flagged the Egyptian pound slumping to roughly 47.6 per dollar as overseas investors sold off, sending hard-currency bonds lower and knocking the EGX30 down almost 3%. The sell-off tracked a wider risk-off reaction to regional headlines.
Eyes are also on rates and liquidity. On Sunday, the Central Bank of Egypt auctioned off a total of 75 billion pounds in treasury bills across two tranches, Mubasher reported, citing official figures. The sale included 25 billion pounds in 91-day bills and another 50 billion pounds in 273-day notes.
Egypt is opening up retail access too. Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk announced in a statement, reported by Ahram Online, that the country will roll out its inaugural “Citizen Bond” for individuals this Sunday, available via post offices nationwide. The bond will pay monthly over an 18-month term, but the yield remains unspecified for now. Ahram Online
On paper, policy looks supportive, but it’s hardly a guaranteed bet. The central bank slashed policy rates by 100 basis points on Feb. 12 and dropped the required reserve ratio to 16%—that’s the portion of deposits banks must park at the central bank—according to a statement cited by EnterpriseAM.
Stocks were mixed, with Commercial International Bank—EGX30 heavyweight and Egypt’s top private lender—slipping around 1.1% during Sunday’s trade, according to Mubasher.
This week, trading conditions are a story of their own. The exchange is running on a nonstandard timetable for Ramadan, tradinghours.com notes, and that’s squeezing liquidity. When foreign flows come in, intraday moves can get amplified.
The risk side stands out: A snag or unexpected twist in the IMF board talks, another flare-up in pound weakness, or local yields getting repriced quickly—any of these could send more money fleeing from stocks. That scenario would push the market back onto local buyers, a move that only goes so far with inflation, funding costs, and headline risk still pressing in.
Investors now turn to the IMF board’s Feb. 25 agenda on Wednesday. Eyes are also on the week’s dividend and corporate events, such as Abu Qir Fertilizers’ cash-dividend payout, which is on Mubasher’s corporate calendar.
