IMF completes Egypt reviews, unlocks $1.8 billion

The International Monetary Fund has completed two reviews, granting Egypt access to approximately $1.8 billion and bringing total disbursements under its current arrangement to about $7.3 billion.

The International Monetary ​Fund said on Thursday it completed two ​reviews of some facilities ‌for Egypt, giving ​the country access to about $1.8 billion.

Egypt would receive about $1.5 billion under the IMF's 48-month loan programme after completing the ‌seventh review, along with roughly $272 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, bringing total disbursements under Egypt's current arrangement with the fund to about $7.3 billion. Egypt agreed to a $3 billion loan with ‌the IMF in December 2022. The programme was expanded to $8 billion in March 2024, when ‌the country was grappling with high inflation and foreign currency shortages.

The global lender said Egypt's economy has remained resilient to spillovers from the war in the Middle East. The country had entered the regional conflict ⁠from a ​stronger macroeconomic position than ⁠in previous external shocks, helped by a more flexible exchange rate, fuel-price adjustments and curbs on state spending, ⁠it added. Economic growth reached 5% in the third quarter of the 2025/26 fiscal year, while growth ​for the full year is projected at about 4.6%, the IMF said.

However, important vulnerabilities ⁠remain, the fund warned, including public debt, large gross financing needs, and a sizable state footprint. "A renewed escalation ⁠of ​regional tensions could weigh on growth, raise global inflationary pressures, tighten financial conditions, and put additional pressure on the fiscal and external positions," the IMF said in a statement. Efforts ⁠to reduce the state’s role in the economy and create greater space for private sector ⁠investment, including through divestment ⁠of state assets, have progressed more slowly than anticipated and need to be accelerated, the lender added.