Arab Finance: Egypt’s transit trade volume increased by 35% year-over-year (YoY) in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, Minister of Finance Ahmed Kouchouk announced during a logistics conference organized by the German-Arab Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

During his speech, the minister said the government is accelerating customs facilitation measures and leveraging infrastructure upgrades to position Egypt as a global logistics hub.

Kouchouk noted that customs procedures for transit shipments passing through ports can now be fully completed without requiring pre-registration under the Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system.

He also affirmed the availability of various alternatives to cash guarantees to simplify procedures and reduce the financial burden on investors, aiming to maximize transit trade.

Meanwhile, a package of tax and customs facilitations will be presented to the House of Representatives in the coming weeks to boost trade and transit activity and reduce customs clearance times, the minister added.

He further explained that the package includes 40 tax and customs measures designed to simplify procedures for investors, enabling them to grow and expand, contributing to the state’s economic growth.

The minister is also working on advanced international standards to evolve the pre-clearance process, noting that an up-to-date database containing all the controls and procedures of the customs system will be published electronically within days.