Egypt's Ministry of Finance announced that the country's five-year credit default swap prices fell below 270 basis points on January 6, marking the lowest level since 2020. International bond costs and yields also dropped sharply by 300 to 400 basis points compared to the same period last year, signaling an improved view of the Egyptian economy.
Egypt's Ministry of Finance issued a statement highlighting declines in public debt indicators, with the debt stock and net borrowing ratios falling as a percentage of GDP in the first half of the current fiscal year compared to the previous year. This improvement aligns with reduced risk signals in global markets among investors.
The announcement responded to a media report aired by an Arab specialized channel on public debt, which the ministry's Media Observatory labeled as unprofessional and inaccurate, cautioning it could mislead non-expert viewers. The observatory explained that the report used selective data, emphasizing new issuances of part of the domestic debt without mentioning amortizations and repayments in the same period, while ignoring external debt. This created a false impression that the debt stock rose by the full issuance value. It emphasized that debt stock changes depend on net domestic and external borrowing, not total issuances alone.
Moreover, the first half of the fiscal year saw revenues surge by over 30%, outpacing expenditure growth. Tax revenues increased by more than 32% year-on-year, yielding a primary surplus of nearly EGP 383 billion—over 1.8% of GDP—versus 1.3% in the prior period. This stabilized the overall budget deficit at 4.1% of GDP. The report anticipates stronger fiscal results in the second half, driven by tax filing season and transfers of surplus profits from public entities. These positive outcomes affirm the budget's capacity to meet targets, bolstered by robust private investment growth and strong merchandise and services exports.