The Public Enterprises Ministry is currently in talks with two local companies to manufacture a prototype battery for electric vehicles, Al Mal quotes Minister Hisham Tawfik as saying. The company that succeeds will establish a battery factory, he said.

Talks over EV tuk tuks + microbuses: The government is in discussions with an Indian-Korean company to produce electric tuk tuks, Tawfik said. The company would initially assemble 50k vehicles using only local components, and 100k by the second year after the factory comes online. There are also talks with a European company to participate in the government’s plans to produce 10k electric microbuses, he said, without disclosing the identity of the firm.

Several Italian rail companies are interested in getting involved in Egypt’s rail network, according to a Transport Ministry statement that provides few details. MERMEC is interested in “railway safety” and Firema wants to discuss the options for producing rolling stock, it says. This came during a meeting between Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir, MERMEC officials and Italian Ambassador Michele Quaroni.

Maritime transport cooperation is also on the agenda: The two sides discussed establishing a roll on, roll off (ro-ro) transport line for agricultural products between the Italian port of Trieste and Alexandria.

Other things we’re keeping an eye on this morning:

• The National Bank of Egypt (NBE) will allow customers to purchase mutual funds online. (Al Mal)
• Luxury real estate firm Sotheby’s International Realty has opened a local branch, marking its second North African office. (Statement)
• USAID has launched a USD 39 mn women’s empowerment program to improve access to jobs and services for 200k Egyptian women. (US embassy statement | International Cooperation Ministry statement)
• The Communications Ministry’s ITIDA and its Spanish counterpart renewed their Egyptian-Spanish IT Innovation Program, senior officials told Enterprise.

CORRECTION- We incorrectly stated in yesterday’s EnterpriseAM that companies in the telecoms sector would be given access to the central bank’s soft loans scheme for tourism companies. The CBE has extended the programme to cover telecoms maintenance and upgrade costs for tourism companies. The story has since been corrected on our website.