The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has announced that the country’s net foreign assets recorded a sharp increase of over US$1.5 billion in February 2025. This pushed the total to $10.17 billion, up from $8.7 billion in January — a growth of more than 17 percent in just one month.
According to figures released on the CBE’s official website, this jump in net foreign assets represents the banking system’s total transactions with international financial bodies within the period under review.
The rise is seen as a positive sign for Egypt’s economy, improving the banking sector’s ability to meet foreign currency demands and helping to stabilise both the exchange market and the Egyptian pound.
The CBE explained that by the end of February, the banking system’s total foreign assets had increased to $72.04 billion, marking an $870 million gain compared to the $71.2 billion recorded at the end of January.
At the same time, foreign liabilities dropped by $608 million to $61.87 billion, from the $62.48 billion noted a month earlier.
Of the total foreign assets, the Central Bank itself held around $45.9 billion, while banks operating within Egypt accounted for $26.1 billion. On the other side, the Central Bank owed $33.8 billion in liabilities, and other banks owed $28.03 billion.
The development reflects steady progress in Egypt’s external financial position. Experts link this improvement to increased foreign exchange earnings from tourism, remittances from Egyptians living abroad, foreign direct investment, and effective monetary policies put in place by the CBE to maintain financial stability.
Net foreign assets remain a key measure of a country’s banking strength, showing the difference between what banks own in foreign currency and what they owe. A surplus in this area suggests that banks are in a good position to meet international obligations.
