Egyptian expert stresses need to attract foreign investment

Dr. Mohamed Al-Nezami, capital markets expert, revealed that Ataqa's company offering in 2013 came after the company achieved high profits, where it achieved about 45 million pounds. The company is listed on the stock exchange in early 2014 at a price of 19.40 pounds per share after approval by the General Authority for Financial Supervision and stock exchange management.

Al-Nezami said that after about 3 years after the company listed in stock exchange, in which the value of the Egyptian pound decreased and the value of the assets increased,  Al Wahda Industrial Development Company made a mandatory purchase offer of 100% of the company's shares at a price of LE 11 per share, 76% lower than the subscription price for which the company sold its shares to Egyptian individuals.

He pointed out that if the offer is approved, the deal will be the biggest monument operation on the stock market investors, and it will be bad publicity to the stock market before the government proposals planned at the beginning of the new year.

He said that the Nile Stock Exchange plays a pivotal role in the Egyptian economy, which contributes about 75% of the economic growth, and despite the importance of these companies, they often face funding difficulties in the desire to expand and access new markets. 

"The State has paid great attention to this issue through the introduction of several initiatives, the most important of which is the creation of the emerging market, which is the most important mechanism that helps SMEs to obtain the necessary financing to increase their capital," the expert said.

Al-Nezami pointed out that the stock exchange management showed great interest in the Nile Stock Exchange, where it resorted to extending trading of two to four hours such as trading in the main market in order to attract more liquidity to the market.

He called for drafting legislation and laws to protect shareholders, obliging the agent to maintain the price of offering companies on the Nile Stock Exchange for a period of not less than one year from the date of trading.

Al-Nezami pointed out that there is no reason for  businessmen and investors' fears of  taxing the profits of the stock market, stressing that the imposition of taxes not on capital but on the margin of profit achieved by dealing in the stock market, which is common in all countries of the world.

He pointed out that there are undeclared demands by the International Monetary Fund to tax the profits of the stock exchange, which has been noted recently and led to a decline of the Egyptian stock exchange to lose 19 billion dollars.

He added that the Egyptian market is still promising for investment and through my visits to many markets in the world, The Egyptian market is the best among the emerging markets.

The Egyptian expert noted that the events in the capital markets include confusion about the stamp tax, which is supposed to be applied in the coming period, which is an alternative tax for capital gains' tax.