Egyptian Women’s Micro-Finance Portfolio Approaches LE 32B in 2025

By September 2025, around 1.9 million Egyptian women had received micro‑finance loans, with total funding reaching LE 31.5 billion, according to the Financial Regulatory Authority. The figure reflects a steady rise in loan amounts per recipient, even as total beneficiary numbers edged slightly below last year.

Across the broader micro‑finance sector, 3.5 million individuals benefited from LE 68.7 billion in loans, compared with September 2024’s 3.75 million people and LE 59.5 billion. The regulator defines micro‑finance as small-scale loans for productive, service, or commercial purposes, aiming to support household incomes, job creation, and small entrepreneurial activity.

A medium-term plan running to 2026 seeks to increase micro‑finance volume to LE 50 billion and raise the total number of beneficiaries to 4.5 million. A key element of this strategy is ‘value-chain micro-finance’ in agriculture, pairing credit with advisory services and micro‑insurance to help farmers access higher-value crops and collective marketing.

The current trend shows sustained demand from women-led enterprises and households, while per-borrower funding rises. This shift hints at loans increasingly targeting more capital-intensive small businesses or growth-focused activities. How institutions manage expansion, inclusion, and risk over the coming year will influence the sector’s ability to connect finance with broader economic opportunity in both urban and rural communities.