It’s finally the weekend, wonderful people — and nearly the end of the month, too. We hope you get to unplug before we jump into a new workweek with the start of a new month.

THE BIG STORY TODAY

EFG Hermes Corp-Solutions closed a EGP 2 bn securitized bond issuance backed by a receivables portfolio of c. EGP 2.9 bn, EFG Hermes’ investment banking division said in a press release (pdf). The issuance — the second for EFG Corp-Solutions — includes three tranches with ratings of AA+, AA, and A-.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

A quote to summarize and end the week? “It’s all a bit of a mess,” as one analyst tells Reuters. The Stoxx Europe closed down 1.5%, while the GBP is down another 0.4% and the EUR slipped 0.2% against the greenback. The UK 10-year government bond yield, which drives borrowing costs, rose 15 bps to 4.16% after crashing almost 50 bps the day before thanks to the Bank of England intervening to buy long-dated bonds. The focus continues to be on how high central banks are willing to hike interest rates to keep up with the greenback crushing global currencies as the USD index rose back towards a 20-year high.

ALSO- Scale of Nord Stream damage widens: Swedish coastguards have discovered a fourth gas leak on the damaged Nord Stream pipelines today, Reuters reports, after three leaks were found earlier this week prompting suspicions of sabotage. While neither of the Russian-owned gas pipelines were in use at the time of the leaks, stored gas has been leaking to the surface of the Baltic sea prompting climate concerns. This is the second leak reported in Swedish waters, while another two were found in Danish waters.

Rapper Coolio (who is most widely known for his song, Gangsta’s Paradise), passed away yesterday at age 59, his manager confirmed to CNN. His cause of death remains unconfirmed, according to the Guardian.

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

• The EGP closed at a record low against the greenback yesterday, breaking past the December 2016 low seen in the wake of what was (at the time) an historic float.
• Is Saudi fintech Sanad Cash moving in on Capiter? Saudi fintech platform Sanad Cash reportedly wants to acquire 60% of crisis-stricken B2B e-commerce startup Capiter.
• The government’s automotive committee held its first meeting yesterday headed by Prime Minister Mousatafa Madbouly.

???? CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The Egyptian Museum and the Manial Palace Museum are hosting a month-long book fair, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of the deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, Al Masry Al Youm reports. The book fair kicked off earlier this week and is running through 27 October.

PSA #1- Women entrepreneurs: Are you looking for funding? The Facility Investing for Employment is looking to write co-financing tickets in the EUR 1-10 mn range for new projects at businesses that “contribute to sustainable job creation.” Its focus is on women entrepreneurs and women-led businesses, according to a press release (pdf). Entrants can apply starting 14 November.

PSA #2- Nominations for the “Africa grows green awards” are now open through 10 October. The initiative, launched by Egyptian NGO Istidama, aims to celebrate stakeholders involved in climate change action among COMESA member states, according to a statement (pdf). The awards also seek to develop climate entrepreneurship by connecting companies with VCs. For more information and to apply, you can visit the initiative’s website.

Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- The national weather service is suggesting we’re in for some warm weather through to Monday, with daytime highs of 35-38°C in the capital city and overnight lows in the 23-26°C range, it said (pdf) yesterday.