As part of Government of Egypt’s effort to support the Egyptian Exchange and stimulate investment, which stand today as two of the most important pillars of the Egyptian economy, Dr. Samir Radwan, Minister of Finance, will give a keynote speech this Friday at the closing session of the Fourth Annual Egypt Capital Markets Day Conference.

The gathering, held under the banner “Investment Opportunities in a New Egypt,” began Thursday in London and was organized by leading Arab investment bank EFG Hermes in cooperation with the London Stock Exchange.

Building on previous years’ success, the Fourth Egypt Capital Markets Day features approximately 70 buy-side investors from 55 institutions. Investors will meet with C-suite management from 16 top Egyptian companies who have an aggregate market cap of USD 24 billion. Presenting companies represent industries ranging from food industries and financials to industrials, real estate & hospitality, and telecommunication services.

“The conference is set to discuss potential investment opportunities in Egypt, particularly in sectors including energy, manufacturing industries, financial and industrial investments, real estate, tourism and the telecommunications sector,” said Dr. Radwan before boarding his flight to London. “This year’s conference will witness participation of representatives from 55 leading investment funds, top global investors and portfolio managers who manage funds in a number of global markets especially the United States, Great Britain as well as the Arab Gulf region.”

“The Egyptian companies attending this year’s Egypt Capital Market’s Day represent the pillars of our economy,” said Dr. Radwan. “Egypt’s capital market is the most transparent and one of the most diverse in the Arab world, offering untold growth potential underpinned by the change that the January 25 Revolution has brought. Indeed, our expectation is that the emergence of true democracy in Egypt will only make our nation more stable, more dynamic and hence more attractive to global investors.

“The government is keen to reassure the international community that Egypt is open for business,” said Dr. Radwan, who explained that recent developments confirm the economic stability of the Arab world’s most populous nation. “The Egyptian Government welcomes both direct foreign investment in various economic sectors as well as foreign portfolio investment through the Egyptian capital markets.”

The Egyptian Finance Minister emphasized the importance of dialogue with foreign investors, noting that Egypt is open for business and reaffirming that there is no turning back from concrete steps that have been taken towards economic reform and free market policies.

Dr. Radwan will discuss economic and political developments in Egypt as well as steps taken by the government to support the local economy. He will also give an overview of the government’s outlook on the economy’s prospects in the coming period in light of the increasing levels of democracy.

The Finance Minister will also highlight a number of national megaprojects targeted by the government for the coming period as it helps create promising investment opportunities and enhance the Egyptian economy’s growth potential, including the Development Corridor Project, East Port Said Development project, Farm Irrigation Development Project and Solid Waste Management Project.

Dr. Radwan will emphasize indicators of the Egyptian economy’s performance over the past few months, underscoring Egypt’s ability to rapidly recover from the current slowdown which was behind ratings agency Standard & Poor’s decision to remove Egypt from a credit-watch negative rating amid expectations of a further downgrade.

Notes for Editors:

About EFG Hermes

Established in 1984, EFG Hermes is the leading investment bank in the Arab world. The Firm specializes in Securities Brokerage, Investment Banking, Asset Management, Private Equity and Research. EFG Hermes is listed on both the Egyptian and London stock exchanges. The recent acquisition of a 65% stake in Credit Libanais marks the first step towards EFG Hermes’s transformation into a universal bank and will enable it to rapidly expand into retail and commercial banking.

Through its operations in Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the UAE, with 1,060 employees of 25 nationalities, EFG Hermes serves a considerable and diversified client base from the Middle East and North Africa to Europe, Africa and the United States. Our clients include governments, corporations, financial institutions, high net worth clients and individual customers.

For further information about EFG Hermes, please visit www.efghermes.com.