Egypt Launches E-Registration for New Companies

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnesses the first e-founding of a company in Egypt. (Egyptian government)
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnesses the first e-founding of a company in Egypt. (Egyptian government)
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Egypt Launches E-Registration for New Companies

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnesses the first e-founding of a company in Egypt. (Egyptian government)
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnesses the first e-founding of a company in Egypt. (Egyptian government)

Egypt has launched an e-platform for the establishment of new companies in a concerted effort to eliminate barriers hindering potential investors and ensure the realization of “investment leaps.”

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly witnessed a live demonstration on Wednesday of the first company to be founded electronically.

The Damietta Company for Green Ammonia was electronically registered via the digital platform of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI).

Madbouly stated that the objective is to “infuse greater flexibility into the executive procedures for company establishment, in line with the Egyptian state’s plans to enhance the investment climate.”

The premier emphasized the need to “promote the newly introduced service to attract investors and acquaint them with the steps for electronic company formation, facilitating the process for them.”

Madbouly also underscored the provision of technical support to ensure service quality and mitigate any issues.

Chairman of GAFI Hossam Heiba explained that investors would register the company and pay fees online. Then, the authority would complete all the measures with the various concerned parties and send the documents to the investors by courier.

“The launch of the service of founding [companies] through the electronic gate is one the authority's plans to enhance the quality of service offered to investors and abide by the highest standards of competitiveness and transparency,” he added.

“Investors will not deal with bureaucracy again and that will not entail extra burdens, as the cost of online foundation is the same as that paid in investor service centers nationwide,” he showcased.

Walid Gaballah, an economic expert and member of the Egyptian Society for Economics, Statistics, and Legislation, commended the step, considering it a “pressing need in line with the comprehensive digital transformation pursued by Egypt.”

“The administrative system for investment has faced numerous obstacles in the past due to the sluggish procedures,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.



Lucid Beats Estimates for EV Deliveries

A Lucid Motors facility is pictured in Costa Mesa, California, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)
A Lucid Motors facility is pictured in Costa Mesa, California, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)
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Lucid Beats Estimates for EV Deliveries

A Lucid Motors facility is pictured in Costa Mesa, California, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)
A Lucid Motors facility is pictured in Costa Mesa, California, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)

Lucid Group reported record fourth-quarter deliveries on Monday, surpassing Wall Street expectations for quarterly deliveries, as the Saudi Arabia-backed maker of luxury electric vehicles lowered prices and offered cheaper financing to drive demand.

The company’s shares rose 7.6% before trading began on Monday.

The EV maker has lowered prices and offered incentives including cheaper financing to woo customers away from cheaper hybrid vehicles amid high interest rates.

The company handed over 3,099 vehicles in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, compared with estimates of 2,637, according to six analysts polled by Visible Alpha.

That represented growth of 11% over the third quarter and 78% higher than the fourth quarter a year earlier.

Production rose about 42% year-over-year to 3,386 vehicles in the reported quarter, surpassing estimates of 2,904 units.

For 2024, production rose 7% to 9,029 vehicles, topping the company's target of 9,000 vehicles. Annual deliveries grew 71% to 10,241 vehicles.

Lucid started taking orders for its Gravity SUV in November, in a bid to enter the lucrative SUV sector and take some market share from Rivian and Tesla.

Rivian on Friday topped analysts' estimates for quarterly deliveries and said its production was no longer constrained by a component shortage.

But Tesla reported its first fall in yearly deliveries, in part due to the company's aging lineup.

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) first invested in Lucid in 2018, and steadily accumulated more shares until it held a majority ownership when the startup went public in 2021 through a combination with a special purpose acquisition company.

Lucid raised $3 billion from an offering of common stock and an investment by PIF announced in May of last year.

The company also raised $1.75 billion in October through a stock sale that CEO Peter Rawlinson believes will provide Lucid with a "cash runway well into 2026".

Lucid is scheduled to report its fourth-quarter results on Feb. 25.