الهيئة العامة للرقابة المالية

• Raising public awareness is imperative, as individual behavior drives the success of public policies.
• Financial literacy is now in secondary schools, with simulated stock trading soon providing practical application.
• Gradual investing builds resilience against economic risks and supports long-term financial planning.

Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) has actively participated in World Investor Week, an annual global initiative launched by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to unify international efforts toward promoting financial literacy, enhancing investor protection and ensuring market integrity. The event was hosted by the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) to coincide with the start of today’s trading session.

Delivering a speech on behalf of FRA Chairman Dr. Islam Azzam, Dr. Mohamed Abdel Aziz, Assistant Chairman of the Authority, outlined the core pillars of FRA’s strategy to raise financial awareness among citizens. He emphasized that empowering individuals and institutions to make sound investment decisions, leverage secure investment channels and guard against emerging negative market practices remains a top priority.

The event featured the traditional market-opening Bell Ringing Ceremony, attended by Minister of Investment Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, EGX Chairman Mr. Omar Radwan, FRA Vice Chairman Dr. Tarek Seif, Assistants to Chairman Mr. Mahmoud Gebril and Mr. Hamdy Badawy, alongside senior regulatory officials, government figures and market investors.

Referencing the work of Nobel Laureates Robert Hall and Michael Woodford, Dr. Abdel Aziz highlighted their theoretical and statistical contributions to New Keynesian economics. He noted that their research underscores the vital link between micro-level behavior and macroeconomic performance—demonstrating that public awareness and individual financial decisions directly drive policy outcomes.

He added that citizen behavior is heavily shaped by environmental factors and financial literacy, demonstrating that financial education is no longer a luxury, but a vital necessity for both individual well-being and national economic prosperity.

Dr. Abdel Aziz explained that FRA is transitioning financial literacy initiatives from sporadic, seasonal efforts into a sustainable, institutional capacity-building framework. This integrated strategy—structured around five core pillars—aims to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical application, enabling citizens to safely benefit from non-banking financial services and products.

Dr. Abdel Aziz detailed the five fundamental pillars shaping the Financial Regulatory Authority’s (FRA) comprehensive strategy to build sustainable institutional capacity and expand financial awareness:

Pillar 1: School Curricula & Practical Simulation

In collaboration with the Supreme Council of Universities, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Ministry of Education and Technical Education, a financial literacy curriculum has been introduced for second-year high school students. The curriculum covers core concepts of saving, investing, and financial markets. To bridge theory with practice, students will gain hands-on experience using simulated trading platforms with virtual portfolios to practice buying and selling stock before moving on to actual investments at a later stage.

Pillar 2: Simplifying Financial Concepts

FRA is simplifying non-banking financial services by publishing educational booklets that explain products, services, and operational mechanisms in clear, accessible language. Dr. Abdel Aziz called on all relevant institutions to simplify data and financial reporting, enabling citizens to understand available financial tools, compare alternatives and recognize their rights and obligations to expand the market base built on sound financial literacy, moving beyond simply making services available

Pillar 3 & 4: Fintech Expansion, Awareness Campaigns, and Cybersecurity

Dr. Abdel Aziz noted that while fintech expands access for various demographics—particularly youth—it simultaneously increases exposure to digital fraud and data misuse. To counter these risks, FRA is conducting awareness campaigns and university lectures nationwide to promote safe trading practices and highlight regulated investment vehicles. Most recently, FRA held “Building Capacity Building, Driving Development – Know to Benefit” conference in Alexandria on Thursday, October 15, under the auspices of the Prime Minister.

He urged the public never to share personal data, login credentials, or verification codes, and to strictly ensure that financial entities hold valid FRA licenses—especially as digital scams increasingly leverage financial identity theft and artificial intelligence to generate deceptive content.

He noted that spreading financial literacy requires close cooperation among regulatory bodies, educational institutions, and market participants. This joint effort aims to instill regular saving and investing habits, helping individuals allocate a portion of their income according to their financial capacities, obligations, and long-term goals.

Pillar 5: Transitioning from Saving to Gradual Investment

The final pillar focuses on shifting public culture from passive saving to gradual, informed investing—even if starting with small amounts—through safe, regulated channels rather than high-risk or informal practices.

He noted that holding cash without investing diminishes its purchasing power due to inflation. To illustrate, he cited the value of gold relative to the Egyptian pound: 37 kilograms of gold in 1990 is equivalent to buying just 156 grams today.

World Investor Week this year focuses on three main priorities: enhancing investor resilience through long-term financial planning and smart handling of market swings, combating digital fraud and tech-driven misinformation like deepfakes, and raising awareness of financial scams along with key methods to prevent them.

World Investor Week is an annual global campaign spearheaded by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), the international body that brings together global securities regulators. Dr. Islam Azzam, FRA Chairman currently serves as Vice Chair of the IOSCO Board in his capacity as Chair of the Growth and Emerging Markets Committee (GEMC).

IOSCO sets global regulatory standards to enhance investor protection, foster responsible investment practices, and empower individuals to make well-informed decisions.

As the regulatory authority overseeing Egypt’s non-banking financial sector, FRA reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with the Egyptian Exchange (EGX) and key market stakeholders to enhance financial literacy, safeguard investor rights and drive sustainable economic growth in line with Egypt Vision 2030.