EnterprisePM — Positive earnings and acquisitions abound.

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to a pleasantly brisk afternoon of news, with stories on M&A, digital payments and waste management all catching our eye.

THE BIG STORY TODAY here at home: We’re getting another shipment of AstraZeneca’s covid-19 jab, with some 1.9 mn doses due to arrive within the next few days after Health Minister Hala Zayed traveled to Switzerland to meet with Covax Managing Director Aurélia Nguyen, according to a ministry statement. The shipment — delivered through the Gavi / Covax scheme — was previously expected to arrive in the first week of June. Egypt has so far received around 2.2 mn doses of the covid-19 vaccine through Covax after Cairo was put on a list of priority countries.

HAPPENING NOW- A top US general is in town for a multi-day visit. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the US National Guard Bureau, and Defense Minister Mohamed Zaki discussed yesterday military ties as well as regional and international developments, according to a Facebook statement. The two also signed a partnership agreement between Egypt's Armed Forces and the Texas Army National Guard.

** CATCH UP QUICK on the top stories from today’s EnterpriseAM:

• France wants to be our third-largest source of FDI: In part two of our exclusive sit-down with French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, we talk investment, Egypt’s aspirations to become a regional export hub for French goods, and the significance of the new G7 tax deal.
• New health and education spending are the highlights of the newly approved FY2021-2022 budget: Our elected representatives signed off on EGP 4.56 bn of additional spending, largely on health and education, as the House of Representatives passed the FY2021-2022 state budget (pdf) in a plenary session yesterday.
• An EGP share with USD dividends: Egypt Kuwait Holding stockholders can now apply to convert the trading currency of their shares to EGP from USD through 14 September. The very welcome twist: They would still receive dividends in USD.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD- The US and the EU seem set to bury the hatchet after a 17-year trade war triggered over mutual recriminations about state support for airplane manufacturers Airbus and Boeing. The two sides had spent years arguing that each other's airplane manufacturer is unfairly subsidized. Under the agreement all future passenger Airbus and Boeing aircrafts will be developed with no subsidies. A formal announcement is expected later today during an EU-US summit meeting in Brussels, during which the two are also expected to commit to removing steel and aluminum tariffs on certain products by the end of the year. The story leads the front pages of the global business press, from Bloomberg and Reuters to the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.

SPEAKING OF AIRLINES- Dubai authorities just propped up Emirates Group with a USD 3.1 bn handout after the pandemic handed the airline operator its first loss in decades, according to Bloomberg. A collapse in Emirates’ core business of intercontinental travel led to a loss of some AED 21.1 bn (c. USD 6 bn) on the back of a 66% y-o-y drop in revenues in the fiscal year that ended on 31 March. The pandemic has upended the global air travel industry, leading to mounting losses and workforce curbs among major operators. Air France KLM and Lufthansa, alone, reported a combined loss of USD 8 bn and pleaded for help from their governments, the business information service noted.

SIGN OF THE TIMES #1- Everybody loves ESG. PwC wants to add 100k staff over the next five years, with lots of that coming under a USD 12 bn investment plan to “capture a booming market for environmental, social and governance advice,” the Financial Times notes.

SIGN OF THE TIMES #2- European banks could be forced to fill vacant board seats with women, the European Central Bank suggested in an opinion piece published on its website. The ECB is concerned that just 8% of folks appointed as CEOs of European “credit and investment institution” are women — and that women hold just 20% of board seats. The regulator could force banks to go with women candidates when it reviews new and current board members and executives. The Wall Street Journal has more on the story.

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???? HAPPENING TOMORROW-

US President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin will meet tomorrow for a summit in Geneva in what the Wall Street Journal says is “gearing up to be a showdown between two leaders who have long been at odds. … Both sides have indicated they plan to use the summit in Geneva to project strength on the global stage and have lowered expectations that it will lead to a thaw in relations between Washington and Moscow.” The Financial Times has a look at cyberwarfare between the two rivals in the run-up to the meeting.

The EFG Hermes and Saudi Exchange Virtual Investor Conference is ongoing until 17 June, according to a press release (pdf). The event will see execs from 61 companies meet with more than 450 international investors from over 190 institutions.

Entrepreneurs in the tourism sector have until 20 June to apply for the six-month Tourism Recovery Program launched by Enpact and the TUI Care Foundation and supported by GIZ, according to a press release (pdf). Some 100 startups will be eligible for direct support to the tune of EUR 9k each. The program also aims to create an international network of tourism business to expand cooperation between Egypt, Germany, and other European countries. You can apply here.

???? FOR YOUR COMMUTE-

Hedge funds are set to significantly raise their investment in crypto in the next five years, with fund executives saying they expect to have some 7% of their assets in the tokens, according to a survey of 100 fund CFOs cited by the Financial Times. If findings hold true for the sector as a whole, this would mean funds could allocate nearly USD 312 bn to crypto investments when 2026 rolls around, a major boost for the digital currencies, whose prices recently saw a renewed bout of volatility.

The World Trade Organization has called on its members to reach a vaccine-sharing agreement by July on sharing covid-19 vaccines, according to Reuters. The call comes as trade barriers on covid-19 related meds are on the rise, with the number of trade restrictions increasing to 53 after falling to 51 from the 109 recorded at the beginning of the pandemic. The WTO is negotiating a proposal spearheaded by South Africa and India to temporarily suspend vaccine patents, which is backed by over 100 countries but still opposed by many wealthy nations.

The origin of the internet is on auction at Sotheby’s: Remember that NFT craze? Well, it’s back, this time with the original source code for the World Wide Web being auctioned off at Sotheby’s. The auction will take place from June 23-30, with bids starting at as little as USD 1k. The NFT will also include a letter written by the writer of the 9,500-line code, British computer scientist Sir Tim Berners-Lee, as well as an animated visualization, a 30 minute video that shows the code being written, and a digital poster of the code, among other things. The NFT, titled This Changed Everything, is the “most appropriate means of ownership that exists,” for such an ephemeral but essential creation, said Berners-Lee, who sees the digital token as the ideal way to package the source code that did indeed ‘change everything’. The story is being covered in: Reuters | Bloomberg | the Financial Times | CNN | The Guardian | BBC.

???? ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-

The third season of The Kominsky Method has dropped on Netflix, with Michael Douglas’s character Sandy Kominsky returning for a sweet sendoff in the wake of the death of his friend and accomplice throughout the show, Norman Newlander. In past seasons, the show explored the experience of growing old in a comedic, non-traditional light, in a way that only sitcom maestro Chuck Lorre (the man behind The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon) ever could. In the final season, Kominsky has been tasked with managing his late friend’s affairs — and dealing with his crazy family in the process. You can read more about The Kominsky Method in this piece by CNN or watch the season trailer (watch, runtime: 02:35).

⚽ The ‘group of death’ takes center stage at the EURO 2020 tonight: Hungary and Portugal are playing at 6pm in the first Group F game of the championship. Portugal is a fan favorite to win the cup this year, so the first time the team hits the pitch will be a match to look out for. Meanwhile, the other two Group F teams, France and Germany, will compete at 9pm in another thrilling game. The group has been nicknamed the ‘group of death’ for gathering together some of the strongest football teams. Two of the group’s four teams at most will qualify for the second round of 16 teams. For more on how teams qualify, check out our primer on everything EURO 2020 related.

Last night’s fixtures: Czech Republic came out on top against Scotland with a score of 2-0 and in a turn of events, Slovakia beat Poland 2-1. Finally, Spain and Sweden tied in a game that ended up with zero goals for both sides.

???? EAT THIS TONIGHT-

Make your cheat day worth it with these sweet creations: Order brownies galore from the comfort of your own home from new Instashop Brown-Dee. The shop offers the most delectable looking brownies with various toppings such as Lotus, M&Ms, marshmallows, cookies, and Oreos. Just looking at the pictures made us want to say ‘sayonara’ to our diet. You can also add cookies to the mix, with Milk n’ Cookies dip and share boxes that come with three flavors of dips as well as a happiness-inducing box of cookies and brownies. They also sell cookies in less-traditional flavors such as peanut butter and jam, pistachio, and cinnamon pecan.

???? OUT AND ABOUT-

Art D'Égypte is organizing EX, an art display by the sea taking place in Almaza Bay in North Coast from 18 June to 22 August, featuring dozens of local artists.

Drummers from Sudan, Bangladesh, Palestine, South Sudan, Philippines, and Indonesia take the stage at 8 pm today as part of the eighth edition of the International Festival for Drums and Traditional Arts. The festival runs until Friday. You can check out the full schedule and locations for each show here.

Neo-reggae band Sharmoofers are playing at ElSawy Culturewheel on Thursday at 4pm and 8pm and will hold two other shows on Friday at the same times.

???? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

How marketing needs to evolve: The rise of technology has changed what it means to market a firm, with the practice shifting from black and white newspaper ads to glamorous videos on social media in a handful of decades. In his book Quantum Marketing, Mastercard CMO Raja Rajamannar that the future of marketing will require a complete re-imagination of the notion of a brand as well as the entire landscape. The book provides background on the evolution of marketing, innovative ways to pursue the right marketing strategies, and insight from some of the biggest names in the field. Readers of Quantum Marketing should learn how to harness the powerful force of marketing and change their mindset on how to implement it to effect maximum impact.

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???? TOMORROW’S WEATHER- Tomorrow could see daytime highs of 35°C and nighttime lows of 20°C, according to our favorite weather app.

Elsewedy Electric is aiming to close three new acquisitions and greenfield investments in the second half of the year, a plan which will involve acquiring majority stakes in unnamed technology, cable, and electric equipment providers, the company’s M&A director, Ahmed Nabil, told business information platform Acuris. The company is looking at targets with a value up to USD 100 mn — or more if it makes strategic sense, Nabil said, without specifying where the targets are based. A team from Elsewedy is in “advanced talks” to finalize the three agreements. More transactions are also planned for next year, Nabil said.

Elsewedy had been shortlisted by Portugese authorities to conduct due diligence on Portugese power group Efacec, Nabil said, but declined to provide any further information. Efacec reported a topline of EUR 440 mn in 2020.

Debt is on the menu: Elsewedy will consider debt to cover some of the investment costs. It is also open to bigger-ticket acquisitions should they “make strategic sense,” Nabil added.

Elsewedy is currently on the lookout for financial, tax, and legal advisors to work on due diligence studies, and will also welcome recommendations from sell-side advisors for future acquisition prospects, Nabil noted.

Elsewedy recently acquired two power transformer companies in South Asia, PT CG Power Indonesia and Karachi-based Validus Engineering, in transactions worth a combined USD 60 mn. The acquisitions were part of the EGX-listed company’s push to extend its focus beyond its core markets in MENA, Africa, and Europe.

CATCH UP QUICK- Orascom Investment Holding (OIH) subsidiary Orascom Pyramids has agreed with the Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels (HOTAC) to invest EGP 200 mn in the Giza sound and light show revamp, Hapi Journal reports. The project is slated for implementation within 16 months from the date the land is received. Under the agreement, Orascom Pyramids will obtain the management rights for 15 years, while Misr Company for Sound and Light, affiliated to HOTAC, will acquire 17% of the project’s annual revenues with the minimum of EGP 36 mn, with a cumulative increase of 7% annually.

CLARIFICATION- 15 June 2021

The story clarifies that Elsewedy is looking at targets with a value up to USD 100 mn — or more if it makes strategic sense. A previous version of the story said that the company plans to target companies with equity worth USD 100 mn.

Underbanked employees and gig workers will be able to instantly access their wages in advance through “Khazna Card,” a Meeza prepaid card launched under a partnership between fintech startup Khazna, banking partner Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (ADIB) and Masria Digital Payments in a bid to extend Khazna’s financial services to underserved sectors, the startup said in a statement (pdf). This comes after Khazna and ADIB got the Central Bank of Egypt’s approval for the co-branded card.

The new card gives Khazna’s users 24/7 instant access to their earned wages in advance upon submitting a request through the Khazna app, a team member at Khazna told Enterprise.The card and app aim to provide a solution to short term liquidity gaps faced by employees between paychecks by allowing them to access their salary at any point during the month. The app already provides other services including the payments of bills and the purchase of electronics and household products, and thus reduces paper transactions.

Employees of several bold-name corporations will be eligible for the cards: Khazna will provide the offering initially to the employees, contractors and customers of its partners, including Hassan Allam Holding, Orascom Construction and Integrated Diagnostics Holding, among a host of others.

Founded in April 2019, Khazna provides online financial services to Egyptians who don’t have a bank account through its salary advance app. The Cairo-based startup aims to increase their paper money advance service to cover 20 mn Egyptians with limited credit access. In March 2020, Khazna landed an undisclosed amount of seed funding from a group of investors led by Algebra Ventures, before Disruptech, a USD 25 mn fintech fund, made its a six-figure USD investment in both Khazna and Brimore.

The draft executive regulations of the Waste Management Act have been passed to cabinet for review after the Environment Ministry finished drafting the bill which would set up a new state agency responsible for waste management, Environment Minister Yasmine Fouad said on the sidelines of the Green Economy Forum yesterday, according to Al Mal.

The ETA: The regulations should be approved within the next 6-8 weeks, Ihab Tarek, legal advisor at the Environment Ministry, told Hapi Journal.

About the bill: The new legislation, approved by the House last summer and ratified by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi later in October, will set up a new authority that will be handed regulatory oversight over the country’s waste management sector. It also includes investment incentives as well as other measures to encourage garbage collectors, small companies, private contractors, and recycling centers to join the formal economy.

Palm Hills Development’s bottomline soared 152% y-o-y to EGP 205 mn during 1Q2021, up from EGP 81 mn in 1Q2020, according to the real estate developer’s earnings release (pdf). This came as revenues rose 74%, reaching EGP 1.98 bn from EGP 1.14 bn in 1Q2020, driven by a surge in new sales in both residential and commercial projects, which reached EGP 3.4 bn in 1Q2021, up 98% from the same quarter last year.

PHD sold 488 units during the quarter, a growth of 87%, and delivered north of 344 units, a significant 155% increase compared to 1Q2020. New sales were concentrated in West Cairo, which grew 90% y-o-y and attracted nearly 54% of the quarter’s homebuyers, mainly from sales in Badya and The Crown in Sixth of October city. Sales in East Cairo came in second, contributing 26% to new contracts, followed by new sales in the North Coast, Alexandria, and Ain Sokhna (20%).

PHD’s performance “improved dramatically during the period […] supported by the recovery in home buying transactions across all operating regions,” Chairman Yasseen Mansour said. “We continue to monitor and optimize our leverage,” and have ended the quarter with a EGP 1.2 bn reduction in net debt y-o-y, Mansour added.

PHD recently executed a reshuffle in its upper management: It appointed former CI Capital co-CEOs Hazem Badran and Tarek Tantawy (LinkedIn) as new co-CEOs and managing directors to replace Mansour. The founder handed over the CEO’s job but will remain executive chairman.

B Investments’ net income increased 34% in 1Q2021, reaching EGP 50.6 mn from EGP 37.7 mn in 1Q2020, the company said in its quarterly earnings release (pdf). Revenues came in at EGP 61.3 mn last year, up 13% from EGP 54.2 mn the year before.

Food and dairy manufacturer Domty incurred losses worth EGP 3.4 mn in 1Q2021, compared to profits of EGP 32.1 mn in the same quarter of 2020, according to the company’s quarterly financials (pdf). Revenues also declined to EGP 647.1 mn in 1Q2021 from EGP 744.8 mn in 1Q2020.

Arabia Investments Holding reported a 62% y-o-y jump in its bottom line, recording EGP 15 mn in 1Q2021, compared to EGP 9.23 mn over the same quarter last year, according to its quarterly financials (pdf). Revenues increased to EGP 336.17 mn in 1Q2021, compared to EGP 216.62 mn in 1Q2020.

Minapharm’s net income soared 213% to EGP 58 mn in 1Q2021, up from EGP 18.5 mn over the same quarter last year. This came as net sales grew 32.7% y-o-y to EGP 526.9 mn, the company said in an earnings statement (pdf). Minapharm is set to manufacture some 40 mn doses of the Sputnik V vaccine per year under an agreement with Russia’s sovereign wealth fund RDIF. The locally manufactured vaccines should begin to be rolled out in 3Q2021.

OUR ANALYST OF THE WEEK- Ahmed Soliman, head of the industrials sector at CI Capital (Linkedin).

My name is Ahmed Soliman and I’m the head of the industrials sector CI Capital, leading the team that covers industrial stocks across MENA including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Morocco. I started my career in a small investment boutique called Axia Capital before moving to CI Capital as an equity analyst. The firm wanted to create a product that covered small and mid cap stocks, and I began work with that team covering some industrial stocks. I was then moved to the industrial team five years ago and gradually moved up the ranks.

The best part of my job is taking small pieces of information and creating a story with them. It’s like putting together a puzzle which will eventually be used to determine a valuation and forecast the future. I think that working with numbers is my edge — I’ve always been clever with mathematics. Meanwhile, the analysis is more intellectual and it depends on educated guessing to determine the direction you’ll take.

The worst part of my job is always being on call. We always have to be on the lookout for developments to quickly communicate to clients how the news impacts coverage and valuation. I guess this isn’t just confined to equity research… Anyone who is working in finance has had a vacation interrupted.

I wouldn’t say the pandemic didn’t change my job, but we are all trying to accommodate the new reality. It’s all about following the same trends and adopting technologies to create a new solid and effective work dynamic. In my job specifically, there has definitely been more interaction over the phone and over email, as well as holding investment conferences virtually. I do hope that with vaccination efforts, we can go back to travel and resume roadshows. Overall, it's difficult to substitute face-to-face communication with virtual meetings for a prolonged period.

The golden rule of investment I follow is to always diversify. Never put too much into one stock even if you think the upside potential is huge. The second thing I try to keep in mind is that timing is everything. It’s not enough to simply look at valuation. In emerging markets especially, potential and the timeframe at which it will show itself, can often be a gamechanger.

The most important thing I look at before recommending an investment is fundamentals. However, it’s a process really. We look at everything from operating and financial performance to competitive dynamics to determine what can go right and what can go wrong, and build on the findings to forecast for the future. We also focus on management structure, because management is everything. A lot of the time, it's up to their discretion to change the current dynamics into something that could create or destroy value. Finally, we integrate all these factors together and come up with a valuation, and based on that and the share price in the market, we make our recommendation.

For the industrials sector, it’s most important to look at global dynamics as they affect the local market. Everything from global commodity and energy prices have a direct impact on local firms and their stocks. We’re also always on the lookout for new technologies that could produce a major leap in the industry such as those that support or produce clean energy.

Our expectations as a house are very positive for 2021. There are a number of factors that we think will support an upwards trend in Egypt’s macrodynamics including stable inflation, a lower unemployment rate, and recovering consumer spending. The positive GDP growth is also a step in pushing the economic trajectory upwards.

For industrials, I’d say 2021 will pose a selective recovery where some industries will do well while others still face challenging dynamics. It’s not related to covid particularly, but building materials, especially steel and cement, might not reach pre-covid levels due to global and domestic challenges. Meanwhile, we think that petrochem will have a good recovery this year, boosted by higher commodity prices.

The last great thing I watched was a documentary series called Greatest Events of WWII in Colour. I find it very interesting to see how the modern world came to be, and WWII was one of the major events in human history. The series also captures human behavior throughout the events and how different circumstances build different people with different intentions.

The last great thing I read was The Age of Deleveraging. The book focuses on times when economic activity is down and suggests what you should do with your wealth. It offers strategies on how to manage your personal finances or your investments if you’re an institutional investor or fund manager, such as focusing on certain investment vehicles that can shield you from the negative dynamics, including high yielding bonds and high yielding stocks.

In my time off work, I like to read, listen to music, or watch movies. Before covid, my down time would also be spent at the gym or meeting up with friends, so I’m hoping to be able to go back to that soon.

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The EGX30 fell 0.4% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 1.13 bn (11.9% below the 90-day average). Local investors were net sellers. The index is down 8.8% YTD.

In the green: Cleopatra Hospital (+2.0%), Fawry (+2.0%) and Ezz Steel (+1.6%).

In the red: Pioneers Holding (-4.3%), Orascom Investment Holding (-3.1%) and Qalaa Holdings (-3.0%).

There is a literal war waging inside our brains as we enter the new normal: With vaccine rollouts gaining steam worldwide and lockdown measures easing, people are being faced with an internal dilemma: return to the pre-pandemic way of behaving or take into consideration all the safety factors covid-19 has ingrained into our minds. These individual decisions range from eating indoors to going to a party, to other activities our pandemic experience has programmed us to flag as dangerous. As we attempt to ease back into things, a complex process is going on inside our brains to decide whether we’re comfortable partaking in activities we once gave no prior thought to.

The science… simplified: Three main factors come into play when the brain evaluates how to behave socially. These include risk aversion, uncertainty aversion, and the habit system, with each factor being processed in a separate part of the brain, Paul Glimcher, a neural science and economics professor at NYU’s school of medicine explains to the Wall Street Journal (watch, runtime: 05:53).

Where each process lives inside your brain: The prefrontal cortex assesses risk by taking into consideration the outcomes of a decision. Simultaneously, the amygdala assesses ambiguity and needs more information about the situation to ease anxiety or fear. Questions about who is vaccinated, the state of the ventilation and sanitation, and infection rates arise from this part of the brain. The more ambiguous you find the situation, the more you’re likely to walk away. Finally, the dorsal stratrium deals with habits, which is difficult seeing as our pre- and post-covid habits are definitely not the same.

People won’t assess situations as they once did: When faced with a situation these three parts of the brain collaborate to come to a final decision on whether to leave or stay, to take the risk, or shy away from it. The decision everyone makes may vary depending on different personalities, ages, and overall life-experiences. To paint a picture, if a group of nerve cells wage a war against each other the most active part of the brain will eventually take antihistamine-meds.com and choose an action based on the nervous system’s scale for risk and reward.

And people with different personality types will also adapt differently: While extroverts might see a resurgence in social interaction as a relief, and may rate the reward of socialisation as higher compared to the risk, more introverted people may find it nerve-wracking to go back to making small talk at the water cooler or being pressures to join large gatherings, writes Very Well Mind.

Trauma from the pandemic can also play a role in decision making: Glimcher is currently studying whether trauma from the past year, such as losing a loved one from covid-19, can also influence your fear gauge in various situations. Even if that is the case though, the brain is flexible and constantly adapting by testing new situations and adding them to each person’s mental roster.

14-17 June (Monday-Thursday): The EFG Hermes and Saudi Exchange Virtual Investor Conference

15 June (Tuesday): Arab League meets to discuss the GERD in Doha.

17 June (Thursday): The CBE’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet to review interest rates.

17-20 June (Thursday-Sunday): The International Exhibition of Materials and Technologies for Finishing and Construction (Turnkey Expo), Cairo International Conference Center.

20 June (Sunday): Ismailia Economic Court to hold hearing on Ever Given compensation case.

20 June (Sunday): Deadline for Enpact + Tui + GIZ tourism recovery program (pdf).

22-27 June (Tuesday-Sunday): The CIB PSA World Tour Finals for 2020-2021 will take place in Cairo.

24 June (Thursday): End of the 2020-2021 academic year (public schools).

26-29 June (Saturday-Tuesday): The Big 5 Construct Egypt, Cairo International Convention Center, Cairo, Egypt. The Big 5 Egypt Impact Awards will also be taking place at the event on 27 June.

30 June (Wednesday): The IMF will complete a second review of targets set under the USD 5.2 bn standby loan approved in June 2020 (proposed date).

30 June (Wednesday): 30 June Revolution Day.

30 June- 15 July: The Cairo International Book Fair, Egypt International Exhibition Center.

July + August: Thanaweya Amma exams take place.

1 July: (Thursday): National holiday in observance of 30 June Revolution.

1 July (Thursday): Large taxpayers that have not yet signed on to the e-invoicing platform will suffer a host of penalties, including removal from large taxpayer classification, losing access to government services and business, and losing subsidies.

1 July (Thursday): Businesses importing goods at seaports will need to file shipping documents and cargo data digitally to the Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system.

15 June (Saturday): EGX-listed will have to complete filing their financial disclosures for the period ended 31 March.

19 July (Monday): Arafat Day (national holiday).

20-23 July (Tuesday-Friday): Eid Al Adha (national holiday).

23 July (Friday): Revolution Day (national holiday).

2-4 August (Monday-Wednesday): Egypt is hosting the Africa Food Manufacturing exhibition at the Egypt International Exhibition Center.

5 August (Thursday): The CBE’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet to review interest rates.

9 August (Monday): Islamic New Year.

12 August (Thursday): National holiday in observance of the Islamic New Year.

12-15 September (Sunday-Wednesday): Sahara Expo: the 33rd International Agricultural Exhibition for Africa and the Middle East.

16 September (Thursday): The CBE’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet to review interest rates.

30 September-2 October (Thursday-Saturday): Egypt Projects 2021 expo, Egypt International Exhibition Center, Cairo, Egypt.

30 September-8 October (Thursday-Friday): The Cairo International Fair, Cairo International Conference Center, Cairo, Egypt.

1 October (Friday): Expo 2020 Dubai opens.

6 October (Wednesday): Armed Forces Day.

7 October (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Armed Forces Day.

12-14 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Mediterranean Offshore Conference, Alexandria, Egypt.

18 October (Monday): Prophet’s Birthday.

21 October (Thursday): National holiday in observance of the Prophet’s Birthday.

28 October (Thursday): The CBE’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet to review interest rates.

1-3 November (Monday-Wednesday): Egypt Energy exhibition on power and renewable energy, Egypt International Exhibition Center, Cairo, Egypt.

1-12 November (Monday-Friday): 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Glasgow, United Kingdom.

29 November-2 December (Monday-Thursday): Egypt Defense Expo.

13-17 December: United Nations Convention against Corruption, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

16 December (Thursday): The CBE’s Monetary Policy Committee will meet to review interest rates.

14-16 February 2022 (Monday-Wednesday): Egypt Petroleum Show, Egypt International Exhibition Center, New Cairo, Egypt.

1H2022: The World Economic Forum annual meeting, location TBD.

May 2022: Investment in Logistics Conference, Cairo, Egypt.

27 June-3 July 2022 (Monday-Sunday): World University Squash Championships, New Giza.

**Note to readers: Some national holidays may appear twice above. Since 2020, Egypt has observed most mid-week holidays on Thursdays regardless of the day on which they fall and may also move those days to Sundays. We distinguish below between the actual holiday and its observance.