Egypt agreed to sell $1.9 billion of state assets to local firms and Abu Dhabi wealth fund ADQ, helping boost the country’s dollar bonds with a signal of progress in reviving an economy crippled by a foreign-currency crunch.
(Bloomberg) — Egypt agreed to sell $1.9 billion of state assets to local firms and Abu Dhabi wealth fund ADQ, helping boost the country’s dollar bonds with a signal of progress in reviving an economy crippled by a foreign-currency crunch.
The divestments mark the most significant step forward on a broad plan announced in February to raise billions of dollars by listing whole or parts of companies, or offering them to strategic investors.
The program is a key part of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi’s attempt to replenish the state’s coffers and convince investors to come back, as well as fulfill terms of a $3 billion deal with the International Monetary Fund.
“This is just a start,” Aathira Prasad, the Dubai-based director of macroeconomics at advisory firm Nasser Saidi & Assoc., said to Bloomberg Television. “It’s still too little in terms of what was promised, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.”
The nation’s dollar bonds extended their rally on the news. Notes due 2061 rose to 53.2 cents on the dollar on Wednesday — the highest in almost a month — pushing the yield down to 14.15%. In the currency market, the pound was steady.
According to Planning Minister Hala Elsaid, ADQ bought $800 million of minority stakes in Egyptian Ethylene and Derivatives Co., oil firm Egyptian Drilling Co. and Egyptian Linear Alkyl Benzene, a petrochemicals producer. ADQ didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In addition, local real estate developer Talaat Moustafa invested $700 million in a holding company that grouped seven prominent state-run hotels, including the Old Cataract in Aswan and the Winter Palace in Luxor.
The state also sold 31% of Ezz Aldekhela Steel for over $230 million, in a move that will see the company de-listed from the Egyptian stock exchange.
Egypt needs to unlock more financing from abroad as the economy is facing its worst dollar crunch in years and grappling with a backlog of foreign-currency requests from importers. The Arab world’s most populous nation was battered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 and the subsequent jump in global food and fuel prices.
The central bank’s devalued the pound three times since then — allowing it to lose half its value against the dollar — and inflation has soared to a record of almost 36%.
Of the $1.9 billion of deals, $1.65 billion are set to be in foreign currency and the rest in Egyptian pounds, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said at a news conference in Cairo. Another $1 billion in deals will be announced later, he said.
Elsaid, the planning minister, said other deals in the works included the sale of Gabal El-Zeit wind farm and a Siemens-built power plant. Those deals could be finalized in October and early 2024, respectively.
The measures, including amendments of investment laws and other steps to boost private sector growth, are evidence of Egypt’s commitment to building its future, Madbouly said. He added that authorities are working on boosting revenue to $191 billion by 2026 by increasing exports, tourism, worker remittances and other key sources of foreign currency.
Debt Plans
Part of that could come from the issuance of new yuan bonds, according to Finance Minister Mohamed Maait, who said the government is also working on selling yen bonds worth around $250 million.
Egypt is aiming to cut the ratio of debt to gross domestic product to 75%-80% in five years and continues efforts to boost tax revenues, Maait said.
Read also: Egypt Puts State Assets Up for Sale to Hunt Foreign Exchange
The announcements looked to allay concerns about whether the government would truly move ahead with its broader program to revive the economy.
Wealthy Gulf nations have pledged billions of dollars in assistance, mainly through investments. But that money has been slow to materialize.
Cairo’s traditional backers are wary of pumping in cash ahead of what they expect will be another devaluation. The government has said it’s committed to a promise of a more flexible exchange rate, and many analysts expect the next devaluation to be held off until it builds more foreign-exchange buffers.
Breakthrough deals could open the door for more cash to a government sorely in need of funding. Moody’s Investors Service says Egypt faces the risk of a downgrade further into junk territory if economic reforms happen too slowly.
Authorities initially unveiled a list of around 30 state firms, including banks and military-affiliated companies, that could be sold. Until the latest announcement, however, they had only managed to sell an additional stake in the nation’s telecommunications operator and a paint manufacturer.
–With assistance from Souhail Karam, Archana Narayanan and Netty Ismail.
(Updates with bonds starting in first paragraph.)
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