Egypt Micro-Finance Reaches 1.9M Women, Loan Size Continue Rising

• 1.9 million Egyptian women obtained micro-finance worth LE 31.5 billion till Sept 2025
• Micro-finance in total reached 3.5 million people and LE 68.7 billion in loans
• The 2026 plan will have a target of 4.5 million beneficiaries, mainly for agriculture value-chain ​‍​‌‍​‍‌financing

Just​‍​‌‍​‍‌ about 1.9 million Egyptian women had been provided with micro-finance loans by the end of September 2025, while the total funding amounted to LE 31.5 billion, as stated by the Financial Regulatory Authority. The number indicates that the amount of loans per recipient has gone up consistently, although the total number of beneficiaries has slightly decreased compared to the last ​‍​‌‍​‍‌year.

In​‍​‌‍​‍‌ total 3.5 million individuals have been able to benefit from the micro-finance sector with the loans amounting to LE 68.7 billion, as compared to 3.75 million people and LE 59.5 billion in September 2024. According to the regulator, micro-finance means small-scale loans for industrial, service, or commercial purposes with the ultimate goal of supporting family incomes, creating jobs, and small entrepreneurial ​‍​‌‍​‍‌activities.

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌ 2026 plan aims to expand micro-finance volume to LE 50 billion and increase the total number of beneficiaries to 4.5 million. The introduction of 'value-chain micro-finance' in agriculture, which involves providing farmers with credit, advisory services, and micro-insurance to facilitate access to high-value crops and collective marketing, is the main feature of this development strategy. ​‍​‌‍​‍‌

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌ ongoing trend indicates that there is a steady demand from women-led enterprises and households, at the same time, the funding per borrower is going up. Such a change is signaling the loans are more and more directed at small businesses that are more capital-intensive or at those businesses which are focused on the growth. The way that institutions will handle growth, inclusion, and risk during the next year will determine to what extent the sector will be able to link finance to the wider economic opportunities in the cities as well as in the ​‍​‌‍​‍‌countryside.