Egypt's Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk on Thursday briefed Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly on the status of overdue payments to exporters. The minister confirmed that EGP5 billion will be disbursed next week to nearly 2,000 firms, according the a cabinet statement. The payment represents the first 50 per cent instalment for repaying dues from the export support programme. The disbursements will begin on August 7, Kouchouk stated, adding that refunds will be issued within a maximum of three months after all required documentation is submitted, according to the statement. Kouchouk noted high level of participation from exporters prompted the government to reopen the application window from August 17 to September 4, 2025. He also announced that the current fiscal year includes the largest export support allocation in Egypt's history, reaching EGP45 billion. This builds on a series of export-support measures launched since 2019 in collaboration with the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama