In a significant stride towards bolstering Egypt’s digital banking landscape, Malak Al-Baba, the esteemed General Manager of Visa in Egypt, has stated that Visa is leading the charge in attracting foreign investors towards Egypt’s thriving digital banking sector. With a multitude of investment opportunities available in Egypt, she highlighted that the Central Bank’s issuance of licenses for digital banks will serve as a catalyst for fostering foreign investment growth.

Visa’s proactive approach involves engaging in dialogues with esteemed foreign investor partners from Europe and Asia, alongside collaborating with Gulf banks operating in Egypt, to establish digital banks that will herald a new era of financial innovation and accessibility.

Over the past two years, Visa has been working closely with various banks operating in the Egyptian banking sector, providing invaluable assistance in preparing their digital infrastructure for the seamless establishment of digital banks.

In mid-July, the Central Bank made a significant stride by releasing rules for licensing, registration, monitoring, and supervision of digital banks. This move reflects the nation’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and embracing the digital economy’s transformative potential. By aligning with global developments in the financial technology industry, Egypt seeks to cater to its customers’ evolving needs in the dynamic market.

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Banque Misr has already emerged as the frontrunner among banking institutions, announcing its collaboration with Visa Corporation through its “Misr Digital Innovation” arm to establish the infrastructure for Egypt’s very first digital bank. Mohamed El-Etreby, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Banque Misr, unveiled the board’s approval for establishing this pioneering digital bank, endowed with an authorized capital of 2.5 billion pounds, with two billion pounds designated as paid-up capital and the possibility of raising the capital in the future.

The Central Bank has established specific criteria for digital bank establishment, either as a branch of a foreign bank or an Egyptian joint stock company. For “Egyptian joint stock companies,” the minimum issued and fully paid-up capital was set at not less than two billion pounds or its equivalent in foreign currencies. Digital banks engaged in financing major companies were required to have an increased capital of 4 billion pounds.

For digital banks operating as a branch of a foreign bank in Egypt, the minimum allocated capital needed to be at least 60 million dollars or its equivalent in foreign currencies.

Discussing Visa’s strategic plans for Egypt, Al-Baba outlined a sustainable strategy focused on promoting the automation of digital payments to reduce cash circulation and facilitate the transition towards a digital economy. Collaborating with diverse sectors, including small and medium enterprises and startups in Egypt, Visa aims to provide innovative solutions and services.

Visa has extended a range of payment automation solutions to the Egyptian government and the transportation sector, further solidifying their commitment to innovation and ensuring top-tier security in their services to cater to global clients.

Despite Egypt’s challenging economic conditions and high inflation rates, the adoption of digital payments has seen remarkable progress, primarily driven by the positive response of various societal segments, particularly the youth, to digital payment mechanisms. Recent changes have influenced a shift in purchasing priorities among Egyptians, a trend closely monitored by Visa.

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When it comes to Visa’s involvement with emerging companies in Egypt, Al-Baba revealed their role in assisting startups in expanding their reach to Gulf and African markets. As part of their ongoing efforts to foster entrepreneurship and advance digital solutions in Egypt, Visa is actively evaluating the possibility of participating in the capital of select emerging companies.

Visa firmly believes that financial technology companies and startups are pivotal sources of innovation, and their collaboration contributes to creating groundbreaking solutions that ultimately empower the digital economy, benefitting businesses and institutions worldwide, working together with banks to achieve this vision.

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer, who has several years of experience working in Africa’s burgeoning tech startup industry. He has closed multi-million dollar deals bordering on venture capital, private equity, intellectual property (trademark, patent or design, etc.), mergers and acquisitions, in countries such as in the Delaware, New York, UK, Singapore, British Virgin Islands, South Africa, Nigeria etc. He’s also a corporate governance and cross-border data privacy and tax expert. 
As an award-winning writer and researcher, he is passionate about telling the African startup story, and is one of the continent’s pioneers in this regard