The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has reported robust growth in banks’ financing of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), with portfolios expanding by 390% between December 2015 and December 2025.
According to a recent CBE report, MSME financing also recorded a 71% increase over the past five years, from December 2020 to December 2025, highlighting sustained momentum in support for the sector.
Growth rates varied by enterprise size, with micro-enterprise financing rising by 112%, followed by small enterprises at 85%, and medium-sized enterprises at 36%.
Geographically, Upper Egypt led the expansion with an 87% increase in financing, compared to 69% in the Delta governorates. Sectoral distribution showed the industrial sector growing by 55%, while the agricultural sector recorded a 28% rise.
The CBE added that the total value of the microfinance portfolio—across both banking and non-banking sectors—reached approximately EGP 107bn in 2025, underlining its growing role in supporting economic activity and advancing financial inclusion.
Mobile Wallets Gain Traction
In a parallel development, the central bank revealed that mobile wallet transactions in Egypt reached nearly EGP 4trn by the end of 2025, reflecting the rapid adoption of digital financial services.
The number of mobile wallets surged to 60 million in 2025, up from 15.2 million in 2019. The growth trajectory shows a steady acceleration, rising to 19.8 million in 2020, 25.2 million in 2021, 30.4 million in 2022, 39.4 million in 2023, and 50.4 million in 2024 before reaching the latest figure.
Advancing Financial Inclusion
The CBE also disclosed that banks opened around 9.8 million new accounts between 2017 and 2025 as part of financial inclusion initiatives.
Over the same period, banks issued 3.1 million electronic wallets and approximately 9.3 million prepaid cards, further expanding access to formal financial services.
The Egyptian market currently observes six key financial inclusion events annually: International Women’s Day (8–31 March), Arab Financial Inclusion Day (1-30 April), International Youth Day (1-15 August), Farmers’ Day (1-15 September), World Savings Day (15-31 October), and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (1-15 December).
Bank Card Market Structure
The central bank also outlined the composition of Egypt’s bank card market as of 2025. Prepaid cards accounted for the largest share at 50.5%, followed by debit cards at 40%, while credit cards represented 9.5% of total issued cards.
In absolute terms, 21.6 million citizens hold prepaid cards, compared to 19.7 million with debit cards and 4.8 million with credit cards.
Gender distribution data showed that men account for 57% of credit card holders, compared to 43% for women, indicating a gap in access to certain financial products that may warrant further policy attention.
