Egypt sees 20% rise in new company formations in H1 2026

The number of newly established companies in Egypt rose about 20 per cent year-on-year to 26,500 in the first half of 2026, with their issued capital reaching around 97.5 billion Egyptian pounds ($2.0 billion), the investment ministry said on Tuesday.

Domestic investors accounted for about 88 per cent of the issued capital, contributing 85.5 billion pounds, while Arab and foreign investors contributed around 12 billion pounds, the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade said in its newly launched periodic bulletin on investment and foreign trade indicators.

The issued capital of newly established companies increased 12.1 per cent from the same period in 2025, the ministry said.

A further 715 existing companies increased their issued capital during the first six months of the year by around 48.9 billion pounds.

Projects operating under Egypt’s free-zone system numbered around 1,262, with total capital of $14.4 billion and investment costs of about $39.2 billion, according to the bulletin.

The projects provided around 253,000 jobs, an increase of 11 per cent from the same period a year earlier.

Authorities received 401 investor complaints during the period and settled 275, representing a settlement rate of 69 per cent, the ministry said.

They also handled 12 investment disputes with a combined value exceeding 100 billion pounds.

Investment and Foreign Trade Minister Mohamed Farid said the bulletin was intended to provide businesses, investors, and policymakers with regularly updated data on investment performance.

The publication was part of the ministry’s efforts to improve access to investment data and provide a clearer picture of developments in the sector, Farid said.