Banque du Caire began trading on the Egyptian Exchange on Monday, 2 November, after the sale of a 45% stake worth EGP 36.371 billion, which Arab Finance described as the largest public offering in the history of Egypt's capital market. The shares trade under the ticker BQDC, following the completion of the public and private offerings on 29 October, according to a bank statement.
Two development banks bought into the offering. The International Finance Corporation said it had invested US$100 million in the offering for a 7% equity stake, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development put in another US$100 million, bringing the pair's combined investment to US$200 million.
HOW THE OFFERING WAS BUILT
The final price of EGP 5.30 per share values Banque du Caire at around EGP 80.83 billion, or about US$1.46 billion, according to Arab Finance. That was the upper end of the indicative range of EGP 4.82 to 5.30. The public tranche closed with demand reaching 27.08 times the shares available.
The offering comprises about 6.86 billion shares, or 45% of issued capital, with the private placement taking about 6.519 billion shares, or 95% of the offering. The Financial Regulatory Authority approved an increase in the stake for sale from 30% to 45%.
The private placement closed on 23 October and drew demand equal to six times the shares offered, according to the bank's disclosure to the exchange.
WHO IS SELLING
Egypt's banking sector comprises 37 banks registered with the Central Bank of Egypt. Total assets, excluding the central bank, reached EGP27.66 trillion at end-June 2026, about US$562 billion, and the five largest banks held 70% of them, led by the state-owned National Bank of Egypt and Banque Misr.
WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT BANKS EXPECT
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in Egypt need access to finance to expand and create jobs, and the segment accounts for more than one-third of the country's GDP and employs nearly 40% of its workforce, according to the IFC release reported by Arab Finance. Leveraging the IFC's investment, Banque du Caire is expected to more than double the number of customers it finances, from about 899,000 to 1.9 million by 2030, and to lift total lending from about US$5 billion to US$8.9 billion.
"Through our partnership, we aim to help businesses access the finance they need to grow, invest, and create more and better jobs, while mobilizing private capital to support Egypt's development priorities," said the IFC's division director for North Africa and the Horn of Africa.
THE TGB VIEW
Banque Misr, the selling shareholder and Banque du Caire's parent bank, ranks 16th among the largest banks in the Middle East and North Africa in the TGB Bank Rankings, with a 25.3% return on equity in 2025. It keeps a 55% stake after the sale, so the listing brings in outside investors while the state-owned group stays in control, in a market where the five largest banks hold 70% of assets. The figures to track are those attached to the IFC's investment: total lending rising from about US$5 billion to US$8.9 billion, and financed customers from about 899,000 to 1.9 million by 2030.
Related: EBRD and IFC each agree to take up to 15.74% of Banque du Caire private placement
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