The Housing and Development Bank (HDB) is contributing EGP 20m to support 1,500 families affected by the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, HDB Chairperson Hassan Ghanem has announced. The financial aid comes as part of the Federation of Egyptian Banks' (FEB) initiative to support irregular workers who are facing economic hardships as a result of the pandemic. Ghanem said that these families are among the most affected groups by the government's precautionary measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as many of them lost their jobs due to the curfew measures. The bank is also throwing its weight behind civil society institutions, represented in the Egyptian Food Bank, Ghanem added. As part of this, 1,500 bags of basic foodstuffs will be distributed to the neediest families. “The bank will do everything in its power to provide assistance to the Egyptian community during the current health conditions,” he stressed. Ghanem had visited the bank's Shorouk branch, adjacent to the Shorouk City quarantine hospital, to ensure the state's precautionary measures are being implemented for customer and employee safety. He also stressed the procedures are being applied to doctors and nursing staff who are also clients of the bank. A special window has been allocated for these workers, giving them priority in completing all their financial transactions inside the branch. Following crowds appearing in front of some bank branches, Ghanem stressed the importance for customers to use technology to complete their banking transactions. This can be done through Internet banking, to maintain the health of customers and bank employees. He noted that customers can contact the bank's customer service to find out how to access and use the bank's online services.
