M&A WATCH- Shuaa Capital is assessing potential acquisitions in Egypt’s financial services industry, Bloomberg reports. The expansion could also come through faster hiring, Chairman Jassim Alseddiqi also suggested. Shuaa has plans to become one of Egypt’s five largest brokerages “as soon as this year” and has already applied for investment banking and asset management licenses. CEO Fawad Tariq Khan had said that “now is the time to invest in Egypt,” but cautioned that “his biggest concern in Egypt is whether authorities will push ahead with the remainder of its economic program.” (Call us state apologists, but we respectfully draw Mr. Khan’s attention to the LEGISLATION WATCH stories above on that last point.)