Egypt’s microfinance reaches 1.8 million women in Q2 – FRA chief

Women accounted for 52.8 per cent of Egypt’s microfinance beneficiaries in the second quarter of 2026, with 1.8 million women receiving about 33.7 billion Egyptian pounds ($652.847 million) in financing, the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) said on Monday.

The financing represented 45.4 per cent of total outstanding microfinance balances during the quarter, FRA Chairman Islam Azzam said.

Overall outstanding microfinance balances rose 14 per cent year on year to about 74.4 billion pounds at the end of the second quarter, from 64 billion pounds a year earlier, Azzam said.

The figures underscore the role of non-bank finance in supporting women’s economic activity by expanding access to financing for income-generating activities and improving living conditions, he said.

The FRA has introduced regulatory measures to increase women’s participation in the financial sector, including a requirement for listed companies and non-bank financial firms to have women make up at least 25 per cent of their boards, with a minimum of two women.

The number of women serving on corporate boards reached 1,236 by the end of 2025, accounting for more than 26 per cent of board members, up from 18 per cent in 2021, Azzam said.

The regulator has also allowed the issuance of sustainability-linked bonds aimed at supporting women’s empowerment and reduced examination and study fees for such issuances, he said.

It has also introduced incentives for non-bank financial companies that expand financing for women-focused projects.

Azzam also highlighted recent regulatory and supervisory measures aimed at strengthening customer identity verification, reducing defaults, improving lending procedures and controls, and combating certain forms of financial fraud.

He said women benefiting from small and microenterprise financing should remain aware of these regulatory developments, which are intended to protect the rights of financial customers.