الهيئة العامة للرقابة المالية

Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly has issued Decree No. 1432 of 2026, appointing Dr. Islam Azzam, Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), to the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI) as an expert member.

This appointment follows two previous decrees by the Prime Minister to include Dr. Azzam in the Cabinet’s Economic Committee and the Ministerial Committee for Entrepreneurship. These appointments came after he assumed FRA chairmanship in March 2026, pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 116 of 2026.

Dr. Islam Azzam has an extensive leadership record in Egypt’s financial sector. He previously served as the Executive Chairman of the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) in August 2025. Prior to that, he held the position of Vice Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority from January 2021 to August 2025, where he oversaw the capital markets, insurance, and non-bank financial activity sectors.

Dr. Islam’s career includes several high-level leadership roles, notably serving as Advisor to the Chairman of the Mortgage Finance Authority (2007–2009) and Assistant to the Chairman of the Capital Market Authority (2003–2005). He also served as Managing Director of Bedaya SME Fund.

He has held board seats at several prominent financial and economic institutions, including the Board of Trustees of the Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Combating Unit (MLCU), the Board of the Egyptian Arab Land Bank, and the Egyptian Center for Arbitration and Settlement of Non-Banking Financial Disputes. Additionally, he has served on the boards of major corporations, including Misr Insurance Holding Company, Dakahlia Sugar, Egyptian Resorts Company (ERC) and Al Shams Housing and Development.

In the academic sphere, Dr. Azzam led the Graduate Finance Department at the American University in Cairo (2005 – 2021). His international academic footprint includes engagements with the London School of Economics (LSE), the University of California, Irvine (UCI), and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Additionally, he has held faculty roles at Cairo University and the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT).

Dr. Islam earned his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Irvine in 2003, specializing in Econometrics, Economic Forecasting, and Monetary Policy. His academic credentials also include a Diploma in Mortgage Finance from the University of Pennsylvania, an M.A. in Economics from UC Irvine, an M.A. in Economics from AUC, and a B.Sc. in Economics from Cairo University (1993).