Remittances from Egyptians abroad increased by 29.3 percent year-on-year in December 2017 to $2.6 billion, up from $2 billion in December 2016, the Central Bank of Egypt announced in a press statement on Sunday. Total remittances since November 2016, when the Egyptian currency was floated, and December 2017 recorded $29.1 billion, a 19.2 percent increase compared to the same period a year earlier. "This reflects Egyptians' trust in dealing with the Egyptian banking system, as a positive result of the decision to float the EGP (Egyptian pounds)," the bank further added. The flotation has helped the country face its foreign-currency shortage, closing the gap between the black-market and the official banking system exchange rates. The flotation also helped in driving foreign reserves up, reaching $38.209 billion at the end of January. Egypt also secured a $12 billion IMF loan agreement in August 2016 to support the country's financial reform programme and curb the budget deficit. The IMF approved the disbursal of $2.03 billion of the second tranche of the loan in December 2017. About 9.4 million Egyptians live abroad, out of a population of 104.2 million Egyptians. Source: Ahram online
