The Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS) held talks with Emirates NBD to expand financing options for local companies and support their entry into international markets, as part of a wider government push to increase exports and draw more foreign investment. ECS Head Abdel Aziz El-Sherif met with senior executives from Emirates NBD led by Tamer Ragheb, Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking. The Dubai-based lender is one of the largest banking groups in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. The two sides discussed expanding trade finance, export credit, guarantees, project financing, and international banking services for Egyptian firms. They also reviewed plans to improve Egypt's commercial presence abroad through the bank's network of more than 900 branches across the UAE, Egypt, India, Türkiye, Singapore, the UK, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar. "Eliminating market-entry barriers and widening financing options are critical for helping Egyptian companies expand into new markets," El-Sherif said, calling Emirates NBD a "strategic partner" given its broad international footprint and strong capital base. Ragheb said the bank's global presence could help Egyptian exporters strengthen access to Gulf, African, Asian, and European markets, in line with state efforts to increase non-oil exports and attract new foreign investors. El-Sherif added that the talks align with the ECS's strategy to build stronger partnerships with major regional and international banks to improve the competitiveness of Egyptian products abroad. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English
