Egypt Studying Sustainable Development Bonds

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Reuters
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Reuters
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Egypt Studying Sustainable Development Bonds

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Reuters
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE). Reuters

Egypt's Finance Minister Mohamed Maait said that Egypt is considering issuing bonds linked to sustainable development.

The country is also aiming to expand its issuance of green bonds, he said, having sold $750 million in five-year green bonds in its first such sale in September.

Maait noted that there are plans to expand the issuance of green bonds to provide sustainable financing for environmentally friendly projects in the areas of housing, clean transportation, renewable energy, reducing pollution, adapting to climate change, raising energy efficiency, and the sustainable management of water and sanitation.

He added that the first offering of green bonds, worth $750 milion, has allowed Egypt to play a leading role in green development, and become a leader in the clean and environmentally friendly investment community in the region.

The minister said that the expansion of green projects will contribute to the country achieving comprehensive and sustainable development, whilst taking into account the environment.

It would help reduce pollution, improve air quality by reducing harmful carbon emissions, rationalize fuel consumption, and is consistent with efforts to maximize local components in the national industry, as well as raise growth rates, he added.

The minister said that the government aims to improve Egypt’s competitiveness in the environmental performance index and will target the implementation of 140 development projects in various sectors nationwide.



US, Chinese Officials Start Geneva Talks on Easing Trade War

 US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
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US, Chinese Officials Start Geneva Talks on Easing Trade War

 US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, listens to the speeches, during a bilateral meeting between Switzerland and the United States, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday, May 9, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

China's vice premier He Lipeng held talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent early on Saturday in Geneva in a tentative first step towards defusing a trade war that is disrupting the global economy, according to China's state-owned news agency and two people close to the talks.
Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were due to meet He in Geneva after weeks of growing tensions that have seen duties on goods imports between the world's two largest economies soar well beyond 100%.
The trade dispute, combined with US President Donald Trump's decision last month to impose duties on dozens of other countries, has disrupted supply chains, unsettled financial markets and stoked fears of a sharp global downturn.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday an 80% tariff on Chinese goods "seems right," suggesting for the first time a specific alternative to the 145% levies imposed on Chinese imports.
The location of the talks has been kept secret, although a witness saw over a dozen police cars outside a private residence in a leafy Geneva suburb.
Mercedes vans with tinted windows were seen leaving a Geneva hotel where the Chinese delegation was staying on the banks of Lake Geneva.
Earlier, a delegation of over a dozen US officials, including Bessent and Greer, were seen smiling and wearing red ties and American flags on their lapels as they left their hotel. Bessent declined to speak to reporters.