As part of strengthening ties between developmental and financial institutions of the state and activating avenues of joint cooperation to provide greater support to the sector of medium, small, and micro enterprises, thereby contributing seriously to enhancing the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy, Mohamed El-Etreby, CEO of the National Bank of Egypt, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Basel Rahmy, CEO of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development Agency. The signing was attended by Soha El-Turki, Deputy CEO of the National Bank of Egypt; Nader Saad, Executive Head of SMEs at the National Bank of Egypt; Mohamed Medhat, Deputy CEO of the Agency; Dr. Raafat Abbas, Supervisor of Development Sectors at the Agency; Samah Gouida, Head of the Agency’s Media Sector; along with a number of leaders from both the bank and the agency.
Following the signing, Mohamed El-Etreby emphasized that this protocol extends the national role played by the National Bank in supporting the Egyptian economy, noting that the bank places the SME sector at the top of its priorities as one of the fundamental pillars for achieving comprehensive development. He added that the partnership with the Agency represents an effective model of integration between financial and developmental institutions, contributing to a supportive environment for the growth of these enterprises, increasing their contribution to GDP, and creating sustainable job opportunities.
Basel Rahmy, CEO of the Agency, stressed the importance of cooperation with one of Egypt’s largest banks (the National Bank of Egypt) to enhance support provided to enterprises of all types, especially in Upper Egypt and border governorates, whether in terms of financing, technical support, or marketing. He noted that expertise will be exchanged between the Agency and the Bank regarding mechanisms to support the SME sector, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion.
Rahmy added that the new cooperation will focus on productive and industrial sectors, as well as handicrafts and heritage industries, given their ability to access global markets and provide labor-intensive job opportunities. This comes in line with the national strategy for handicrafts launched by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Chairman of the Agency’s Board of Directors, during the “Turathna” (Our Heritage) exhibition last year.
For her part, Soha El-Turki confirmed that the signing of the MoU aligns with the Bank’s strategy to support the SME sector as one of the main drivers of economic growth and job creation. She emphasized the Bank’s commitment to strengthening its role in supporting entrepreneurs and project owners by offering integrated financing solutions and innovative banking services suitable for all market sectors, enabling these enterprises to expand and grow, thereby supporting sustainable economic development and enhancing Egypt’s competitiveness.
Mohamed Medhat, Deputy CEO of the Agency, explained that the MoU represents a strong boost to expanding access to financing and integrated services for the Agency’s clients. He noted that the Agency works to create a supportive environment for entrepreneurship, contributing to increased productivity and opening new markets for enterprises. He added that this step is part of the state’s efforts to promote economic growth and create sustainable job opportunities.
Nader Saad, Executive Head of SMEs at the National Bank of Egypt, pointed out that this partnership is an important step toward providing a comprehensive system to support project owners, combining the Bank’s financial and banking expertise with the developmental and technical services offered by the Agency. This integration will enable SMEs to grow, expand, and add value to the national economy.
The cooperation also includes supporting initiatives related to enhancing exports, franchising, women’s economic empowerment, handicrafts, and financing value chains in the food industries and other productive sectors. Additionally, the partnership will explore launching joint promotional campaigns to spread the culture of entrepreneurship and raise awareness of the services offered by both parties to support project owners, as well as studying the installation of the Bank’s ATMs inside some Agency branches.