Société Arabe Internationale de Banque (SAIB) has signed on Tuesday the long-awaited agreement to arrange, manage and market a syndicated loan in favor of the state-owned Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC). Around 12 banks operating in the Egyptian market will be participating in the banking consortium to provide EGPC's EGP 2 billion loan. The 42-month finance is designed to meet with the EGPC's urgent export and import needs through providing petroleum products in the local market. The EGPC's funding request has attracted a high turn-out of 150 percent from the banks. This is backed by the fact that the state-owned corporation has always managed to meet with its contractual obligations with lenders without facing faltering times over the last period, thanks to its good cash flows. Triggered by the large turn-out, the main loan arranger SAIB Bank has decided to allocate relative contributions for the banks that showed willingness to take part in the EGPC's loan. A Consortium of 12 Banks The banking consortium to provide EGPC's EGP2 billion loan consists of the SAIB Bank as the key loan arranger; in addition to Ahli United Bank, Bank Audi Egypt, the Egyptian Arab Land Bank (EALB), the Egyptian Gulf Bank (EGBE), Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt, Blom Bank - Egypt, the Arab Bank, Arab Investment Bank (AIB), Piraeus Bank – Egypt, Al Baraka Bank of Egypt, the Industrial Development & Workers Bank of Egypt (IDBE), and the National Bank of Greece (NBG) - Egypt. This is the second syndicated loan to be arranged, run, and marketed by SAIB Bank in favor of the EGPC after its first finance in 2010 that was in the amount of EGP 2.5 billion. Signing the EGPC's syndicated loan agreement coincides with the issuance of World Bank's report on making investments in the Middle East and North Africa markets. The WB report has referred to the oil sector as being the most balanced and least crises-stricken during the previous period, therefore citing the sector's lower investment risks compared to other economic sectors. It is worth to note that SAIB Bank has managed over the last few years to occupy a leading position in terms of arranging, running and marketing syndicated loans. This in return has positively affected SAIB's financial results as well as its syndicated loan portfolio which accounts for 26% of the bank's total credit and loans portfolio. SAIB Bank is ranked tenth among the banks operating in Egypt in terms of assets.
