Egypt’s foreign reserves rise slightly in September to $40.8 bln: CBE

Doaa A.Moneim , Monday 4 Oct 2021

Egypt’s Net International Reserves (NIRs) rose slightly in September to $40.8 billion, up from the $40.6 billion recorded in August, the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) announced on Monday.

CBE

The country’s foreign reserves started bouncing back in July 2020 after being severely hit by the COVID-19 outbreak in March, when foreign investors sold their T-bills and bonds.

By the end of March 2020, Egypt’s NIR dropped sharply to $40.1 billion, down from the $45.5 billion recorded at the end of February 2020.

Trading Economics, a website that monitors global economic indicators, expects Egypt’s foreign reserves will soon approach their pre-pandemic levels, projecting that they will reach around $45 billion by the end of 2022 and hit $46.5 billion in 2023.

In March 2021, Fitch Ratings affirmed that Egypt's long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating is B+ with a stable outlook.

Fitch’s appraisal is based on the country’s track record of fiscal and economic reforms and its large economy, which has demonstrated stability and resilience through the COVID-19 crisis.

Egypt attained a GDP growth estimated at 2.8 percent in FY2020/2021 and is aiming to grow by 5.4 percent in the current FY2021/2022, according to the state’s budget plan.

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