Moody's Drops Egypt's Rating to B3

Egyptians pass in front of an exchange office with a banner of foreign currencies (AP)
Egyptians pass in front of an exchange office with a banner of foreign currencies (AP)
TT

Moody's Drops Egypt's Rating to B3

Egyptians pass in front of an exchange office with a banner of foreign currencies (AP)
Egyptians pass in front of an exchange office with a banner of foreign currencies (AP)

Egypt's dollar-denominated government bonds fell after Moody's cut the country's credit rating from B2 to B3 late Tuesday.

The agency changed its outlook for Egypt to be stable from negative.

Egypt has continued to face a shortage of foreign exchange, despite allowing the Egyptian pound to depreciate sharply in the past few months.

It is expected that the country's headline inflation will accelerate further in January after surging to its highest level in five years last December, according to a Reuters poll.

The bonds dropped as much as 1.2 cents in the dollar, with the 2029 maturity falling the most to 81.233 cents at 08.45 GMT, according to Tradeweb data.

Egypt's net foreign reserves rose to $34.224 billion in January from $34.003 billion in December, according to the Central Bank.

On Monday, Egypt sold $1.06 billion in one-year dollar T-bills in an auction at an average yield of 4.9%, the central bank said.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Ministry of Finance issued a statement responding to Moody's concerns.

Finance Minister Mohamed Maait confirmed that the government dealt positively with the concerns contained in Moody's report, despite integrated measures, policies, and measures taken by the government.

The minister pointed out that Standard & Poor's fixed Egypt's credit rating with a stable future outlook, especially in light of the commitment to the economic reform supported by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with an agreement that extends to 48 months.

It would allow for economic growth prospects during the coming period and enhance the ability to obtain adequate financing to meet the country's external needs.

Maait explained that Egypt is implementing a national program for economic reform to ensure stable economic conditions, maintain financial discipline, and increase the competitiveness of the Egyptian economy.

The program complements what has been achieved in the past years, including the fiscal year 21-22, where the total deficit reached 6.1 percent of GDP, down from 6.8 percent in the year 20-21, and a primary surplus for the fifth year in a row amounted to 1.3 percent of GDP, in the fiscal year 21-22.

Moody's report indicates the possibility of raising Egypt's credit rating through the Egyptian state's implementation of reforms related to enhancing the economy's competitiveness and foreign direct investment flows.



Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
TT

Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)

The United States on Thursday called on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the occupied West Bank.

"I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

In May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine.

On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel's banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for four months, according to Israeli media, according to AFP.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the decision on the waiver was made at a cabinet meeting in a "move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts."

The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza.

The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared "a humanitarian crisis" if banking ties were cut.

According to Washington, these banking channels are key to nearly $8 billion of imports from Israel to the West Bank, including electricity, water, fuel and food.