Top 10 Viral Stories to Read This Weekend

Updated 2/20/2026 9:00:00 AM

Arab Finance: The Egyptian economic landscape reported accelerated growth in key sectors during the third week of February, which also coincided with the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan.

Here are the top 10 trending news stories of the week from February 15th to 19th:

1-Egypt’s financial inclusion rate rises to 77.6% by end-2025: CBE

Egypt’s financial inclusion rate rose to 77.6% by the end of 2025, according to data from the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). The increase represents 54.7 million citizens aged 15 and above owning active financial accounts, out of a total 70.5 million people in that age group.

2-Egypt's GDP growth accelerates to 5.3% in Q2 FY2025/26: Rostom

Egypt’s economy grew to 5.3% in the second quarter (Q2) of fiscal year (FY) 2025/2026, marking its highest growth since Q3 FY2021/2022, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostom revealed.

3-Egyptian cabinet reviews proposed tax facilitation package for FY2026/27

Egypt’s cabinet has reviewed a proposed package of tax facilitation measures and reforms for fiscal year (FY) 2026/2027, as part of efforts to rebuild trust with taxpayers and improve services, according to a statement.

4-El-Sisi approves Carry On initiative to unify food outlets as part of Ramadan preparations

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi approved the launch of the Carry On initiative, a national project aimed at unifying the branding of food distribution outlets and complexes.

5-Egypt's unemployment rate falls to 6.2% in Q4 2025

Egypt’s unemployment rate declined to 6.2% in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, down from 6.4% in the previous quarter, as per the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) data.

6-IMF puts Egypt on February 25th agenda for EFF, RSF Reviews

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has placed Egypt on its meeting agenda for February 25th meeting to approve the fifth and sixth reviews of the country’s Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, according to the IMF’s website.

7-IFC unveils 5 projects to support MSMEs, climate finance in Egypt, Africa

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has announced five new projects to support small- and medium-sized business development and job creation in Egypt and other parts of Africa, focusing on climate finance, healthcare, and food security.

8-Bonyan signs lease deal with Hassan Allam’s Kortech for Building 106B in Nasr City

Bonyan for Development and Trade signed a new lease agreement for Building 106B, which will be fully leased to Kortech, a subsidiary of Hassan Allam Group.

9-Madinet Masr, Beltone’s seven offer home-finishing finance

Madinet Masr Finishing Solutions, a subsidiary of Madinet Masr for Housing and Development, has entered into a partnership agreement with Beltone Holding’s unit seven for Consumer Finance.

10-FRA approves CIB proposal to raise capital to EGP 34.05B

The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) approved the Commercial International Bank Egypt’s (CIB) board’s decision to invite the ordinary general meeting (OGM) to review raising the bank's issued and paid-up capital from EGP 33.779 billion to EGP 34.051 billion.