Search
Close this search box.

Egypt State Banks Setting up US $85 Million Fintech Innovation Fund

Written by Capria Admin
April 23, 2022

CAIRO, March 20 (Reuters) – Egypt’s three biggest state-owned banks are setting up an $85 million financial technology fund that aims to accelerate innovation in the sector, venture capital firm Global Ventures, a partner in the fund, said on Sunday.

Capria - CDLI7OXCMVJWRLDSHEQ2J7I3MQ scaled 1

Legislative and regulatory changes in Egypt over the last two years have paved the way for a surge in fintech investments and a change in the way the country’s largely unbanked citizens do business, industry players say.

Banque Misr will act as an anchor investor in the programme, with National Bank of Egypt (NBEGPT.UL) and Banque du Caire (BQDC.CA) as strategic investors, said the statement by Global Ventures, which focuses on the Middle East and Africa.

eFinance Investment Group, a state-controlled payments firm, and Egyptian Banks Co, a payments operator led by the central bank, will also participate. The fund, called Nclude by Global Ventures, hopes to attract additional participation from regional and international investors, it added.

The statement quoted Egyptian central bank governor Tarek Amer as saying the fund’s establishment was “a crucial step to transform Egypt into a regional centre for the fintech industry in the Arab World and Africa.”

The fund has already made preliminary investments in four companies, it said.

These are Khazna, a financial app that provides products to underserved consumers; Lucky, which offers instalments, cashback rewards and credit to consumers; Mozare3, which provides small farmers with input financing, markets and technical support; and Paymob, a digital payment provider.

This article was originally Published in Reuters >

Share

Subscribe to get latest updates

Be the first to hear the latest investment updates, AI tech trends, and partner insights from Capria Ventures by subscribing to our monthly newsletter. 

Report a Grievance

Capria Ventures and its related entities are committed to the highest standards of ethics and strictly enforce a zero-tolerance anti-corruption policy. Please report any suspicious activity to [email protected]. All reports will be treated with utmost urgency and resolved appropriately.

Unitus Ventures is now Capria India

Unitus Ventures, a leading venture capital firm in India, is joining forces with its US affiliate Capria Ventures, a Global South specialist, to operate with a unified global strategy under a single brand, Capria Ventures.