IFC invests $100m in Banque du Caire IPO to boost business financing in Egypt

The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, announced on Monday that it had invested $100m in the initial public offering (IPO) of Egypt’s Banque du Caire, securing an approximately 7% equity stake. The investment aims to strengthen the bank’s capacity to expand financing for businesses and households across the country.

Access to finance remains critical to enabling Egypt’s private sector to grow, invest, and create jobs. This is particularly important for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which contribute more than one-third of Egypt’s GDP and employ nearly 40% of its workforce, yet continue to face constraints in accessing the financing needed to expand their operations.

Banque du Caire has made smaller businesses a priority, with more than three-quarters of its clients located outside Cairo. With support from IFC’s investment, the bank expects to more than double the number of customers it finances by 2030, from approximately 899,000 to 1.9 million, while increasing its total lending from around $5bn to $8.9bn.

Banque du Caire CEO and Managing Director Hussein Abaza said the successful completion of the IPO marked a defining milestone in the bank’s history and a new chapter in its continued development. He said it reflected the strength of the bank’s franchise, the resilience of its business model, and investor confidence in its strategic direction and long-term prospects.

“As a publicly listed institution, we remain focused on building on our established strengths, maintaining disciplined risk management and sound governance, and pursuing sustainable growth that creates lasting value for our shareholders, customers and the wider economy.

“We value IFC’s participation as a long-term institutional investor and look forward to further strengthening our partnership in support of the bank’s next phase of development,” Abaza added.

IFC and Banque du Caire have an established partnership focused on expanding access to finance for businesses in Egypt, particularly smaller enterprises. In 2024, IFC committed $50m to support the bank’s lending to MSMEs, with half of the five-year loan earmarked for women-owned businesses. The two institutions also signed a $50m trade finance guarantee facility.

Beyond providing capital, IFC has supported Banque du Caire in developing an Environmental and Social Management System and strengthening its corporate governance, both of which are key foundations for long-term performance and sustainability.

“Our latest investment with Banque du Caire reflects IFC’s commitment to empowering Egypt’s financial sector,” said Ary Naïm, IFC’s Division Director for North Africa and the Horn of Africa. “Through our partnership, we aim to help businesses access the finance they need to grow, invest, and create more and better jobs, while mobilising private capital to support Egypt’s development priorities.”

Egypt continues to advance its agenda to increase private sector participation in the economy and mobilise private investment. IFC’s investment in Banque du Caire supports the government’s Asset Monetisation Programme (AMP) and complements the corporation’s broader efforts to help expand opportunities for private sector participation in the economy.

Banque du Caire’s IPO is part of this effort, with the potential to broaden the bank’s investor base and attract additional domestic and international private capital.

The investment is being made jointly with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which is also participating in the offering with an investment of $100m. This brings the total investment by the two multilateral development banks to $200m.

The project aligns with the World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework for Egypt for FY2023–2027, particularly its focus on creating more and better private sector jobs and increasing private sector participation. It also builds on IFC’s 50-year partnership with Egypt and the World Bank Group’s broader efforts to create favourable conditions for greater private investment.

Since fiscal year 2022, the World Bank Group has mobilised nearly $6.7bn in private capital for Egypt through a combination of reforms, financing, guarantees, and partnerships aimed at unlocking investment in support of the country’s development priorities.