Egypt’s Thndr says investor funds protected under regulated framework

The comments came after Thndr founder Ahmad Hammouda appeared on television host Amr Adib’s programme, where he discussed the company’s operating model, investor protections, and efforts to expand financial inclusion.

Hammouda said Thndr operates as a licensed investment company regulated by the FRA and connects investors to regulated market instruments rather than operating as a financing company.
“Thndr is not a financing company. Thndr is an investment company,” Hammouda said. “Our role is to help people invest through regulated products and market instruments.”

“Last week, Thndr was recognised by the Financial Times as the fastest-growing company in Africa. But if you ask me what I am most proud of, it is the story of the man who works with Hisham Ezz Ezz Al Arab, who took his bonus and invested it through Thndr. That is financial inclusion,” Hammouda said.

He said investors who purchase shares or invest in funds are formally registered as shareholders or unit holders, while uninvested cash is held in segregated accounts at regulated banks separate from the company’s own funds.

“Thndr does not take investor money and decide how to use it,” Hammouda said. “When an investor buys shares, their name is registered as a shareholder. When they invest in a fund, their name is registered as a unit holder.”
Hammouda said money market funds offered through products such as Thndr Clouds primarily invest in government debt instruments, including Treasury bills issued by Egypt’s finance ministry.

“These funds invest primarily in government debt instruments, including Treasury Bills. This is one of the most established investment instruments in Egypt,” Hammouda said.

He added that money market funds were already well established in Egypt, but Thndr had simplified digital access to such products for a broader base of investors.
“Money market funds are not new. What Thndr did was make access to them easier and more accessible to more Egyptians,” he said.
Hammouda said around 80 per cent of Thndr users were first-time investors, while more than half were based outside Cairo and Alexandria. The average investor age ranged between 30 and 32 years old.

“Our goal is for Egyptians to become investors,” Hammouda said. “We want people to be able to set aside part of their income and invest it in companies, funds, gold, and other assets that help them build wealth and support the economy.”

Thndr also said it remained committed to operating under regulatory supervision and expanding access to investment opportunities across Egypt.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English