Egypt swings to a $2.8bn payments surplus
Remittances of $47.3bn and a jump in foreign investment outweighed a trade deficit that widened by more than a quarter.
Cairo — Egypt recorded an overall balance of payments surplus of $2.8 billion in the financial year 2025/26, against a deficit of $2.1 billion the year before, the Central Bank of Egypt announced on Monday, Daily News Egypt reports.
The improvement came from money flowing in, not from trade. The current account deficit in fact widened, from $15.4 billion to $22.5 billion.
What came in
- Remittances from Egyptians abroad rose 29.6% to $47.3 billion.
- Tourism earned $18.4 billion, up 10.3%.
- Suez Canal receipts rose 21.6% to $4.4 billion, with 9.8% more ships passing through.
- Foreign direct investment reached a net $18 billion, up from $12.2 billion.
- Portfolio investment brought in a net $4.2 billion, up from $1.6 billion.
Together, the capital and financial account showed a net inflow of $23.2 billion, more than double the previous year's $10.2 billion.
What went out
- The goods trade deficit grew 27.1% to $64.8 billion.
- Within that, the oil trade deficit rose 31.5% to $18.3 billion, because Egypt imported more natural gas and crude.
- The deficit on investment income, which includes profits and interest paid to foreigners, widened by 33.8% to $21.2 billion.
Non-oil imports rose by $12.1 billion. Non-oil exports rose by $2.7 billion.
Inside the investment figure
Almost all the foreign direct investment went to sectors other than oil. It included $8.8 billion in new projects and capital increases, of which $3.5 billion came from the Alam Al-Roum deal late in 2025, as well as $6.2 billion in reinvested earnings and $2.8 billion in property bought by non-residents.
This report is based on reporting by Daily News Egypt.
