Arab Finance: Major developments shaped the second week of August, led by Egypt’s unified electricity grid handling a record peak load of 40,000 megawatts (MW) on August 11.

The following are the top 10 trending business and economic news stories for the week ended August 13:

1-Egypt’s electricity grid hits record 40,000 MW peak load amid summer heat

Egypt’s unified electricity grid handled a record peak load of 40,000 megawatts (MW) on Tuesday, August 11, up 200 MW from last year’s peak and up 700 MW from Monday’s 39,300 MW.

2-Egypt's unemployment rate hits 5.8% in Q2 2026: CAPMAS

Egypt’s unemployment rate stood at 5.8% in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026, down 0.2 percentage points from the previous quarter.

3-Egypt-UAE bilateral trade reaches $9.68B in 2025

Bilateral trade between Egypt and the UAE hit around $9.68 billion in 2025, with Egypt recording a trade surplus of nearly $4.3 billion.

4-Egypt’s trade deficit down to $3.9B in May 2026: CAPMAS

Egypt’s trade balance deficit edged down by 0.30% year-on-year (YoY) to $3.99 billion in May 2026  from $4 billion

5-FRA issues first rules governing hedge funds in Egypt

The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), chaired by Islam Azzam, issued a decision for the first time regulating the establishment and operation of hedge funds in Egypt.

6-Egypt's annual core inflation records 14.7% in July: CBE

The annual core consumer price index (CPI) inflation recorded 14.7% in July 2026 compared to 14.3% in June 2025.

7-Korra Energi wins €15.43M contract for Yazaki EDS Egypt

Korra Energi has secured an integrated turnkey contract worth an initial €15.43 million to carry out integrated construction works for Yazaki Egypt Electrical Systems (Yazaki EDS Egypt), Japan-based YAZAKI Group's first electrical systems factory in Egypt.

8-Valmore Holding's AlexFert, SolarizEgypt sign 30-year solar power agreement

AlexFert, a subsidiary of Valmore Holding, has inked a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with SolarizEgypt to supply 1 megawatt (MW) of solar energy to its manufacturing facility in Alexandria.

9-NTRA refers 4 mobile operators to prosecution, tightens SIM registration rules

The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has referred Egypt’s four mobile network operators to the Public Prosecution for investigation following complaints received over the past two days.

10-Emaar Misr to acquire remaining Sky Tower shares via share swap

Emaar Misr for Development has decided to move forward with acquiring the remaining shares in Sky Tower for Real Estate Development through a share swap.