الهيئة العامة للرقابة المالية

FRA and MoYS Launch Youth Sports Festival, Bolstering Financial Literacy – Tuesday 16 December 2025

Youth Sports Festival was initiated as a strategic effort to enhance financial literacy. The event achieved significant reach, attracting large numbers of participants both physically at Gezira Youth Development Center and affiliated youth centers, as well as through extensive online participation.

The festival was held through the ongoing institutional partnership between Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) and Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS). Their central objective is to enhance financial literacy among youth and adolescents, introducing them to non-banking financial services and empowering them to make sound economic decisions. This endeavor directly supports Egypt’s national strategy for achieving financial inclusion and fostering sustainable economic development.

The event successfully drew over 200 young men and women from numerous Egyptian universities and schools, primarily engaging members of clubs and youth centers. Significantly, the festival achieved even greater reach through extensive digital engagement, with youth participating via electronic live streaming from numerous governorates

Kicking off the festival, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aziz, Assistant to FRA Chairman, delivered a specialized awareness lecture. He introduced the concept of non-banking financial services and their pivotal role in supporting the  national economy and empowering youth economically. The presentation also covered the difference between banking and non-banking sectors, the evolution of the latter in Egypt and highlighted key sectors: Capital Markets, Insurance, Microfinance, Real Estate Finance, Financial Leasing, Factoring and Consumer Finance.

During his speech, Dr. Abdel Aziz emphasized the importance of utilizing these activities safely and responsibly. He underscored their role in supporting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), promoting a culture of saving and investment and enhancing employment and entrepreneurship opportunities among youth, all of which contribute to financial inclusion.

He further highlighted the importance of consumer protection mechanisms and the urgent need to raise awareness on risks associated with unlicensed financial entities. Dr. Abdel Aziz stressed that financial literacy is a fundamental tool not only for building a sustainable professional and economic future, but also for safeguarding the rights of participants across the non-banking financial markets.

The festival activities also featured a theatrical performance titled “Dababis” by “Nawa” troupe from Monufia Governorate. This play addressed several youth awareness topics, including combating violence against women, women’s employment and the importance of family dialogue, as part of the activities of the MoYS Central Administration for Youth Empowerment. The events further included various sports activities – among them football, table tennis and fitness – in cooperation with the Central Administration for Sports Development.

Several leaders attended the events from Ministry of Youth and Sports, Financial Regulatory Authority and representatives from Etijah – Youth and Development Consultancy Institute.

This event reaffirms the institutional partnership between the Authority and the Ministry of Youth and Sports, alongside their crucial cooperation with various national and international entities. This collaboration is vital for supporting and empowering Egyptian youth and for promoting financial literacy, which are recognized as essential pillars for sustainable economic development and human capacity building.

FRA Licenses First Micro-insurance Firm (Sawa) and New Mortgage Startup (MNZL Fin)- Tuesday 16 December 2025

• FRA has granted approval for establishing Lucky as a digital consumer finance startup.
• These decisions ensure compliance with tech and regulatory rules, expanding public access to non-banking financial services.
• Recent licensing decisions confirms the readiness of technological and regulatory infrastructure within the non-banking financial system.

Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) has issued approvals for three companies to engage in micro-insurance, mortgage finance and consumer finance activities. These include approving the establishment of the first micro-insurance company, licensing the first mortgage finance startup and establishing a new consumer finance startup.

FRA’s licensing decisions enforce adherence to robust technological and regulatory standards, significantly expanding financial access for the Egyptian public across all non-banking financial services. These swift establishment and licensing approvals validate the readiness of the technological and regulatory infrastructure within the non-banking financial system.

FRA Board of Directors approved the establishment of Sawa the first micro-insurance company. This action aligns with the Authority’s mandate to implement the Unified Insurance Law and its subsequent executive decisions.

The Unified Insurance Law No. 155 of 2024 includes a dedicated legislative chapter that governs the establishment of specialized micro-insurance companies. This provision facilitates the development of simple insurance products tailored to specific community segments, enables the expansion of micro-loan insurance and supports the issuance of new insurance products.

In a related context, FinTech Committee issued an approval to MNZL Fin to practice mortgage finance, alongside its consumer finance activities. Furthermore, the Committee approved the establishment of Lucky as a new consumer finance startup.

FinTech Committee, established under FRA Chairman’s Decree No. 3196 of 2023, holds the primary mandate for reviewing establishment and licensing applications from companies intending to use financial technology for non-banking activities. Furthermore, it rules on requests from existing licensed firms seeking to integrate specific FinTech applications into their current operations.

The Committee’s authority also encompasses approving registrations in the Outsourcing Services Register, issuing temporary licenses for FinTech startups and formulating proposals for the executive regulations of FinTech Law.

FRA Hosts Interactive Workshop on Market Making and Short Selling with Market Participants and EBRD Representatives – Monday 15 December 2025

• Key figures attended the workshop including representatives from the Egyptian Exchange, MCDR, the Egyptian Securities Federation, listed companies and brokerage firms.
• FRA and EBRD representatives delivered detailed presentations on Market Making and Short Selling mechanism, addressing all participant inquiries.

Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) held an interactive workshop to discuss developments in Market Making and Short Selling to enhance market structure, efficiency, liquidity and investment.

The workshop witnessed high-level attendance from FRA and EGX, alongside MCDR, Egyptian Securities Federation, listed companies and brokerage firms, who reviewed the latest technical and regulatory readiness for activating the two mechanisms.

Representatives from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) presented international best practices for developing and implementing Market Making and Short Selling, including establishing the appropriate regulatory and technical environment.

FRA officials confirmed the workshop is part of a comprehensive plan to enhance market effectiveness, ensure optimal application of regulations through stakeholder consultation, boost liquidity, improve pricing mechanisms and raise overall market efficiency.

Market Making supports continuous security trading by placing constant buy/sell orders, ensuring liquidity and maintaining smooth price movements.

Meanwhile, Short Selling is a system where a security holder lends shares to another party via a central system for a fee and a fixed period, with the borrower committed to return the identical number of shares

Within the same context, the EBRD delegation commended FRA’s tangible reform and regulatory steps in the Egyptian capital market, reaffirming their commitment to strengthen partnerships, reflecting international confidence in the market’s strength and development.