Ahmed Heikal on EGX Talks: Qalaa chairman Ahmed Heikal sat down for the first installment of the Egyptian Exchange’s EGX Talks Youtube series (watch, runtime: 18:38), which launched to keep retail investors engaged during the pandemic. Among the highlights:

• “We are in good shape”: Qalaa’s portfolio is diverse, with 46 companies in nine industries — a structure that has helped cushion the impact of the crisis. While some of its companies have been hard hit, others have remained relatively unaffected, Heikal said.
• Tax deadline deferral aiding investment: The government’s decision to push companies’ tax deadlines has enabled Qalaa to largely stick to its planned investment program, he said.
• Low oil prices will have an impact on refinery ERC’s profits despite it running at maximum capacity.

• Qalaa has deferred a portion of its employees’ salaries to help the company maintain liquidity, which will be paid after the pandemic is over.