Episode 35-Egypt’s Fintech Focus: Growth and Challenges

Egypt is quickly becoming a major tech and fintech hub in MENA and Africa. With over 100 million people, many of them young and tech-savvy, and a strategic location connecting continents, the country is set for impressive growth.

But the path forward isn’t without its challenges. These include regulatory hurdles, market fragmentation, and infrastructure issues that could slow its progress.

In our 35th episode, we spoke to Walid Hassouna, founder and CEO of Valu, a leading Egyptian fintech firm. Walid is also a leader in Egypt’s financial sector.

In this episode, we covered several topics including:

• Egypt's fintech landscape
• The opportunities and challenges
• Egypt's current economic situation
• Islamic finance in Egypt

Valu Facebook page-https://www.facebook.com/valuegypt

Valu LinkedIn-https://www.linkedin.com/company/valuegypt/

Email us: hassan@majlisandmarkets.com

Follow Majlis & Markets on LinkedIn-https://lnkd.in/eXKNRVcF

Intro theme song-Arab and Muslim by StockMusic via Pixabay

Chapters

• 0:50 Monologue intro
• 1:41 Beginning of discussion
• 2:15 Walid's background
• 4:15 What was banking like in 2000s?
• 6:24 Work culture between US and Egypt
• 8:00 Pivoting to fintech
• 10:40 Why is Egypt's tech ecosystem attractive?
• 15:18 How have incumbent players reacted to fintech?
• 17:47 Are fintechs' price competitive?
• 21:14 Valu's customer profile
• 22:24 Presence of regional and global VCs
• 25:21 Egypt's broader economic challenges
• 28:34 Trade relations with BRICS and Turkey
• 29:38 Climate risks
• 32:10 Islamic finance in Egypt
• 36:11 Walid's current and upcoming projects
• 37:40 Getting in touch; social media