In fiscal year 2013, the World Bank (WB) has supported 16 projects worth 2.1 billion USD, out of which 1.8 billion USD came from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and 249 million USD from the International Development Agency (IDA). 56.4 million USD were committed separately for the West Bank and Gaza. On […]
Finance
The Fed Up, the ECB Down: Time to Endow the ECB with a Level Playing Field
After years of loose monetary policy, with 0.5 percent interest rate and three consecutive waves of quantitative easing (QE), including buying US$ 85 billion per month of Treasury bonds (T-bonds), Ben Bernanke, the chairman of the Fed’s board of governors, announced in May the Fed’s intention to commence tapering its asset purchase program. The Fed’s […]
Tunisia introduces austerity measures
The government has revealed that it will introduce austerity measures to curb its budget deficit. Finance Minister Elyes Fakhfakh’s announcement could further stir up the heightened political crisis to new levels. The decision will imply the reduction of public expenditure and the freezing of public salaries. The move is not expected to be welcomed by […]
Libya to use its financial reserves before November
Finance Minister Alkilani Abdelkarim al-Jazi has warned that the blockage of oil ports should come to an end as soon as possible because the finances of the state have begun to feel the effects. Oil is Libya’s major revenue and the siege on ports and oilfields especially in the east have almost brought production to […]
Tunisia: Central bank warns of worst economic downfall
The Tunisian central Bank has added its voice to the ongoing political crisis. It is worried that if the political parties don’t find a solution to their differences, the economy will fall into a state that it has never before experienced. The board of the central bank has urged all stakeholders to work towards maintain […]
MENA: Arab Spring transitional countries boosted
A statement released by United Kingdom’s foreign ministry has stated that the government, in partnership with several international financial institutions, will be holding a Deauville Partnership Investment conference in September. The conference is aimed at promoting investments, trade and supporting new investors in transitional countries marred by the Arab Spring. The European Bank for Reconstruction […]
“Train My Generation” Fund Set up to Address Youth Unemployment in Africa
A fund destined to promote the training of African youth, “Train My Generation,” has been set up on the sidelines of the New York Africa Forum, held in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, June 14-16. The fund with an initial capital of $ 200 million was set up in partnership between the Economic and Monetary Community […]
Qatar to send LNG to save Egyptian factories
Qatar will be sending five shipments of liquefied to Egypt as a donation in order to help it reduce the constraints on its industrial sector. The delivery is expected between July and September. The statement which was released by Qatar’s Energy and Industry Minister Mohamed al-Sada didn’t precise the quantity. Egypt’s natural gas shortage is […]
Egypt: President’s adviser blames IMF for delaying the loan
Essam al-Haddad, the closest aide to Mohamed Morsi, has lambasted the IMF for worsening Egypt’s situation. He claimed Egypt has satisfied all the required conditions but the IMF continues to delay the deal. He said the government in a bid to finalize the $4,8 billion loan deal has recently included a phased-out subsidies plan and […]
Egypt converts fund into notes, bonds underway
The Governor of the Egyptian central bank, Hisham Ramez, has said that they have converted $2,5billion into 18-month notes and there are ongoing plans to convert an extra $3 billion into three-year bonds. The monies were provided by Qatar as deposits to the bank as part of its efforts to help Egypt overcome its crisis […]








