Urban & Economy

The structural trap of credit-fueled consumption

While installment apps artificially boost purchasing power, fueling retail demand in an import-dependent economy inevitably deepens Egypt’s chronic trade deficit.

Amr Adly_ 11-6-2026

The structural trap of credit-fueled consumption

New oil and gas discoveries: more than hot air?

Egypt keeps announcing new oil and gas finds, but most are too small to reverse falling output or curb costly energy imports.

Laila El-Abd_ 19-5-2026

New oil and gas discoveries: more than hot air?

Latest stories

Egypt's fuel subsidies: Priced for wishful thinking

Urban & Economy_

Cairo’s budget pegs oil at $75 despite $119 spot prices. Slashed subsidies and fiscal targets signal imminent fuel price hikes as Egypt moves to meet IMF energy commitments.

Sarah Abdelmofeed_ 30-4-2026

Egypt's fuel subsidies: Priced for wishful thinking

Fertilizers: An industry profiting under fire

Urban & Economy_

While energy prices soar, Egypt’s fertilizer giants are turning wartime disruption into record profits, leaving farmers and citizens to bear the brunt of rising food inflation.

Hager Atteya_ 22-4-2026

Fertilizers: An industry profiting under fire

Explainer| How Egypt avoided a dollar crisis during the Iran conflict

Urban & Economy_

Despite an estimated $8 billion in hot money outflows, exchange rate flexibility and robust dollar reserves shielded the Egyptian economy from another liquidity collapse like 2022.

Mohamed Gad_ 16-4-2026

Explainer| How Egypt avoided a dollar crisis during the Iran conflict

Trump burns Gulf capital, not just its oil

Urban & Economy_

As conflict disrupts energy exports, Gulf monarchies may be forced to liquidate Western assets to cover domestic shortfalls, in a self-inflicted wound to the US economy.

Amr Adly_ 15-4-2026

Trump burns Gulf capital, not just its oil

Egypt's emergency rations: Who is poor enough to count?

Urban & Economy_

In homes balanced on pensions, credit and charity, exclusion from a 400-pound grant reveals a deeper crisis of opacity and neglect.

Omneya Qalawoun_ 5-4-2026

Egypt's emergency rations: Who is poor enough to count?

Egypt’s debt trap tightens as war on Iran bites

Urban & Economy_

War-related shocks are exposing the fragility of Egypt’s recent economic gains, with rising import costs and weaker inflows reviving borrowing pressure.

Doaa Elsayed_ 24-3-2026

Egypt’s debt trap tightens as war on Iran bites

Explainer| Egypt enters the derivatives era, but what are they?

Urban & Economy_

Egypt’s exchange is set to launch derivatives in March, starting with EGX30 futures. Here’s how they work, who benefits, and why leverage can cut both ways.

Hager Atteya_ 1-3-2026

Explainer| Egypt enters the derivatives era, but what are they?

What stalled Egypt's monorail, and who pays?

Urban & Economy_

Weeks after its expected launch, the New Capital monorail remains idle. Internal sources reveal that accumulated delays have cost the state at least 45 billion Egyptian pounds.

Mohamed Ismail_ 24-2-2026

What stalled Egypt's monorail, and who pays?

“Egypt’s Future” on the backs of peasants

Urban & Economy_

Transformations routinely presented as hallmarks of modernization and efficiency amount to a slow dismantling of the countryside’s capacity to reproduce its own life in practice.

Saker El Nour_ 5-2-2026

“Egypt’s Future” on the backs of peasants

The Zohr pipedream: Egypt's enduring gas gap

Urban & Economy_

Eni’s $8B pledge revives hopes for Egypt’s gas comeback, but insiders say there’s no new Zohr, and the giant field won’t return to peak output.

Laila El-Abd_ 3-2-2026

The Zohr pipedream: Egypt's enduring gas gap

Debt swaps and the devil in the details

Urban & Economy_

Egypt is moving past "quick fix" land sales like Ras El-Hekma to historic debt swaps. But is the $8B China deal a developmental win or a Sri Lanka-style risk?

Doaa Elsayed_ 11-1-2026

Debt swaps and the devil in the details

Buried in paperwork, Egypt’s gold incentives fail to glitter

Urban & Economy_

Egypt pitched new incentives to lure gold explorers, but the Sukari mine’s discoverer calls them cosmetic. Experts want transparent rules and predictable costs.

Laila El-Abd_ 6-1-2026

Buried in paperwork, Egypt’s gold incentives fail to glitter

Why Egypt’s budget problem isn’t subsidies

Urban & Economy_

Are subsidies really to blame for Egypt’s economic crisis? A closer look at budgets, debt, and IMF prescriptions reveals where the real pressure on public finances lies.

Elhamy Elmerghany_ 17-12-2025

Why Egypt’s budget problem isn’t subsidies