الشركة المصرية المالية للتصكيك السيادي

The Managing Director & CEO's Message

The Managing Director & CEO's Message

With the framework of the pivotal role played by the Ministry of Finance in managing the general budget of the state and regulating government debt through the use of innovative financial tools that contribute to diversifying sources of financing and targeting a new segment of investors in the global market, which will have an impact on reducing the cost of financing for the general budget of the state in the medium and long term. Due to the importance of sovereign sukuk as one of the non-traditional financing tools in meeting the Egyptian state’s needs for implementing various development projects included in the general budget, It was the thought of issuing the Sovereign sukuk Law No. 138 for the year 2021 and its signing by His Excellency the President of the Republic on August 15, 2021, Implementing the provisions of the executive regulations accompanying this decision regarding the Sovereign sukuk Law issued by Law No. 138 for the year 2021, which was approved by His Excellency the Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on April 28, 2022. His Excellency the Minister of Finance approved the primary law of the Egyptian Financial Company for Sovereign taskeek on May 18, 2022, based on which the Egyptian Financial Company for Sovereign taskeek was established as an Egyptian joint-stock company fully owned by the Ministry of Finance with the sole purpose of issuing sovereign sukuk and managing and implementing the taskeek process for sovereign sukuk inside and outside the Arab Republic of Egypt. It has usufruct rights over the assets on the basis of which the sukuk are issued, as an agent for the owners of the sovereign sukuk.

The first issuance of sovereign sukuks worth USD 1.5 billion through the Egyptian Financial Company for Sovereign taskeek, wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance, on February 28, 2023, is considered a first step on the right path, and it is necessary to be followed by other successive steps for other issuances. The subscription value for the offering reached approximately USD 6.1 billion, with a coverage rate of over four times. The Finance Minister, Dr. Mohamed Maait, pointed out that the issuance cost was lower than the required yield on bonds in international secondary markets by over seventy basis points. Since the yield rate on the offering was reduced by around 72.5 basis points compared to the initial prices announced at the beginning of the offering process at level 11.675%, closing the issuance pricing at 10.875%. The issuance witnessed significant demand, with over 250 investors from various global financial markets submitting purchase requests. This issuance attracted a new base of investors from Gulf countries and East Asia, in addition to European countries and the United States. The quality of investors in the sukuk offering was of high quality, represented by asset managers, pension funds, insurance and investment funds, and banks, who are distinguished by their long-term retention of investments, which has a positive impact in reducing price fluctuations. This issuance comes with an international program for sovereign sukuk issuances over the coming years, with a value of $5 billion, which has been registered on the London Stock Exchange on February 14, 2023. The sukuk has been listed on global stock exchanges through the Egyptian Financial Company for Sovereign taskeek.

 

His Excellency the Minister of Finance and the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Financial Company for Sovereign taskeek are credited with this transformation in this file. According to the executive regulations of the Sovereign Sukuk Law in Egypt, sukuk are issued in accordance with the issuance contract and associated contracts in one of the following forms: Murabaha, Istisnaa, wakala, and finally Ijarah sukuk, which represent the current form of the issuance, as sukuk listed through the company on the London Stock Exchange, with the sukuk (Ijarah) issuance price being traded daily based on supply and demand forces.

The unique advantage enjoyed by sukuk issuances is not only that they represent a common share in ownership of the assets, benefits or rights of a specific project or its cash flows as defined in the prospectus or offering memorandum, but extends to monitoring the investments upon which Issuing the value of the sukuk. As the company has the right, in accordance with the executive regulations of the law, to pursue its investment and use it for the purposes for which it was specified, and usufruct rights over the assets on the basis of which the sovereign Sukuk are issued, in its capacity as an agent for the owners of the sovereign sukuk. Sovereign sukuk issuances are not considered competitors to other traditional debt instruments, but rather a new financial approach that the Egyptian state will follow in the coming years to develop and enhance the real assets of the Egyptian state and achieve sustainable development.

It is expected that the role of the Egyptian Financial company for Sovereign taskeek will increase during the current period through issuing more sukuk in international financial markets or the domestic market, enabling the company to fulfill its desired role in developing the assets subject to taskeek and financing various projects listed in the state budget, considering the cost of funds and achieving the optimal sovereign debt structure.

 
 
 
 

Dr. Hassan Hafez El- Kosary

Managing Director and CEO