Hi Online performance of Egypt's top 50 companies!.

Hi Online performance of Egypt's top 50 companies!.

- "A conducted study in which they evaluated the online performance of Egypt’s top 50 companies – and the results call for action."

The top five companies in the list of overall online presence are: Mobinil, Commercial International Bank (CIB), National Société Générale Bank (NSGB), Egyptian Satellites (NileSat) and Orascom Development Holding (ODH).

The 50 companies were extracted from the official bt100 list of Egypt’s best performing companies in the stock market 2013. 

They were evaluated according to Web (reputation of website and traffic), Search Engine Optimization – SEO (visibility in search engines), and Social (presence in social networks). Mobinil ranked first in the Web and Social Web categories, whereas NileSat ranked best in the Search Engine category.

Egypt has a severe problem with SEO. Keywords and Search Engine Optimization make up a huge part of a company’s online presence – however, many websites of the country’s top companies do not really work, have bad back-links, or too little keywords. They also do not make attempts to collect email addresses of their customers or visitors, in order to be able to contact them later on. NileSat and ODH lead the list of companies that are most visible in search engines, and Mobinil and CIB have the best website reputation and traffic.

Using Social Media for online presence and marketing is essential, since it is a very talkative sphere and companies should use that to meet potential customers and attract new customers. 

However, 40% of the top 50 companies do not have a Facebook-page, and 68% do not have a Twitter-account. For instance, 

Twitter can be a great tool for customer-support, but Egyptian companies – with the exception of a few – have not yet realized that potential. T

he report shows that even existing company accounts mostly have an inactive fan-base, which shows that not enough time, money or effort is invested in online engagement with followers.

The study was prepared by Absolit Dr. Schwarz Consulting. 

The numbers in this study were extracted from various services and studies, as well as self-researched reports. 

  Alphabetical list of all evaluated companies:

1. Abou Kir Fertilizers.
2. Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank - Egypt.
3. Al Arafa for Investments & Consultancies (Arafa Holding).
4. Al Baraka Bank Egypt.
5. Al Watany Bank of Egypt (AWB) - now National Bank of Kuwait - Egyp.t
6. Alexandria Containers and Goods.
7. Amer Group Holding.
8. ASEC Company for Mining (ASCOM).
9. Citadel Capital.
10. Commercial International Bank (Egypt) - (CIB).
11. Crédit Agricole Egypt.
12. Egyptian Chemical Industries (KIMA).
13. Egyptian Company for Mobile Services (Mobinil).
14. Egyptian Financial Group - Hermes Holding (EFG Hermes).
15. Egyptian International Pharmaceutical Industries Company (EIPICO).
16. Egyptian Resorts Company.
17. Egyptian Satellites (NileSat).
18. El Sewedy Electric.
19. Export Development Bank of Egypt (EDBE).
20. Ezz Steel.

21. Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt.

22. GB Auto (Ghabbour Auto).
23. Golden Pyramids Plaza.
24. Housing and Development Bank (HDB).
25. Juhayna Food Industries.
26. Lecico Egypt..
27. Madinet Nasr for Housing and Development.

28. Maridive & Oil Services.
29. Medical Union Pharmaceuticals.
30. Misr Conditioning (MIRACO).
31. National Société Générale Bank (NSGB) - now QNB AlAhli.
32. North Africa Company for Real Estate Investment.
33. Olympic Group Financial Investments.
34. Orascom Construction Industries.
35. Orascom Development Holding (AG).
36. Orascom Hotels and Development (OHD).
37. Oriental Weavers.
38. Osool ESB Securities Brokerage.
39. Paints and Chemical Industries Company (PACHIN).
40. Palm Hills Development.

41. Pioneers Holding.
42. Remco for Touristic Villages Construction..
43. Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals (SIDPEC).
44. Six of October Development and Investment Company (SODIC).
45. Société Arabe Internationale de Banque (SAIB).
46. Suez Canal Bank.
47. Suez Cement Company.
48. Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG).
49. The Arab Dairy Products Company (Arab Dairy).
50. Union National Bank - Egypt (UNB-E).

Hi Let’s talk Micro finance in Egypt!.

Hi Let’s talk Micro finance in Egypt!.

With the new microfinance law issued this week, Egypt Business Directory looks at the microfinance landscape in Egypt.

The new law was issued last Thursday, according to the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority (EFSA), and aims at regulating microcredit provided by non-bank financiers, putting them under the authority of EFSA. This concerns mainly companies and non-governmental organizations, whereas banks will continue to respond to the Central Bank of Egypt.

This aims at strengthening the regulatory framework and practices, in order to attract investors, according to the head of EFSA Sherif Samy.

Whereas the law might help resolve issues that had arisen earlier, regulatory framework and practices are not Egypt’s biggest problem in the microfinance sector.

The Economist Intelligence Unit released a report last year entitled “Global microscope on the microfinance business environment 2013”, which evaluated 55 countries according to the regulatory framework and practices, supporting institutional framework (transparency and client protection) and stability (in terms of political situation).

Egypt advanced from the 50th to the 49th rank compared to a year earlier; however, the main burden facing microfinance is political instability, which delays regulatory reforms.

Breaking down the rank, Egypt came in 41st in terms of regulatory framework and practices, while scoring 46th in supporting the institutional framework. The country came in last in the stability evaluation.

Hence, the country mainly needs to work on its institutional framework and be concerned with political stability, as well as address its “weak dispute-resolution mechanisms”, according to the report. 

In an attempt to raise awareness about the new law issued last week and give an outlook on what will happen in 2015, EFSA joined forces with conference organizer IQPC to host “Microfinance Egypt” – an event that will take place from the 20th – 21st of January 2015. The conference will include panel discussions, showcases and workshops. For more information on the event, please click here. 

In general, Microfinancial Institutions (MFIs) do not routinely disclose interest rates, and the participation in credit bureaus in Egypt is higher than Yemen, which prevents multiple borrowing.

Who regulates microfinance in Egypt?

The Central Bank of Egypt, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, and the Egyptian Financial Supervisory Authority.

Who provides microfinance services? 

Four banks and over 400 non-governmental organization-microfinance institutions (NGO-MFIs), according to the Economist report.

What is the main burden?

The Economist Intelligence Unit pinpoints political instability – in reference to the removal of former president Mohamed Morsi and the new draft NGO Law.

Hi Exclusive: New mixed-use development unveiled in Cairo.

Hi Exclusive: New mixed-use development unveiled in Cairo.

French studio Vincent Callebaut Architects has revealed a muti-purpose complex for Nasr City in Cairo, Egypt.

The project is designed to obtain a LEED Gold Plus standing and features a solar roof, green terraces, sky villas and vertical gardens and solar heating tubes.

The Gate Residence is composed of 1000 apartment units with a health club and spa, fitness centre, business centre, restaurants, cafes, retail spaces and a medical centre.

The building’s spine is formed by a central street called the Boulevard. Arranged in U-shapes, the rectangular apartment buildings branch off the Boulevard.

The surfaces of the housing units are stacked layers of e-low glass, polished with white stone and features suspended garden balconies. The commercial levels have two different facades.

The entire roof of the complex is turned into a community garden featuring food gardens, orchards, infinity pools and sports areas, while the two plots are connected by sky bridges.

With the aim to limit its own carbon footprint, the building recycles part of the generated waste as grey water, while a system of mesh surface and second skin of white steel and cables integrates photovoltaic cells, thermal tubes, and vertical gardens.

Vincent Callebaut also built structural Megatrees to function as passive cooling systems, inspired by the technology behind wind catching towers (Malqaf) originally developed by Ancient Egyptians.

Hi Shell Lubricants Egypt to hold fourth annual Shell Technology Leadership Conference (STLC):

Hi Shell Lubricants Egypt to hold fourth annual Shell Technology Leadership Conference (STLC):

Shell Lubricants Egypt’s fourth annual Shell Technology Leadership Conference (STLC) is to take place this week along Egypt’s Red Sea.

This year’s conference will focus on Energy Conservation and finding ways of substantially reducing energy consumption through transforming how energy resources are used and perceived. STLC’s main objective is to stimulate discussion around sustained ideas for energy conservation, while looking into practical solutions and means of achieving such solutions for generations to come.

The conference will engage a multitude of experts from the industrial sector, government agencies, regulatory authorities, scholars, members of the business community, and the media. They will work to tackle different areas of efficient energy management and best market practices. The experts will also share real ideas and experiences, all with the goal of using energy in more efficient ways and expand opportunities for better energy consumption in the future.

Keynote speakers include Mr. Jeroen Regtien, Vice President, Country Chairman & Managing Director of Shell Egypt N.V, Dr. Hafez El-Salmawy, Managing Director, Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency, Mr. Bruno Carré, CEO of Suez Cement Group and Italcementi Middle East Zone Director, Dr. Mohamed Bayoumi, Environment Specialist and Assistant Resident Representative, UNDP, and Mr. Ahmed Zahran , CEO of Karm Solar Company.

Conference presentations will cover a variety of topics, including strategies and issues related to energy efficiency, why solar energy makes financial sense in Egypt and best practices in bio-energy. Industry leaders will gather to discuss the latest local developments and initiatives that relate to energy conservation in Egypt.

Shell is an industry leader in this area – in pursuing efficient and clean energy, the company spent over $100 billion between 2011 and 2014 to support new energy production.