The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is increasing its support for women entrepreneurs in Egypt with a loan of €13.2 million to Tasaheel for Financing (Tasaheel), Egypt’s largest lender to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The Bank reported that the loan, provided under the EBRD’s Women in Business program, aims to improve access to finance for privately owned, women-led MSMEs. It focuses on regions outside Greater Cairo and Alexandria that are underserved by the banking sector.
In addition to the loan, the EBRD will offer Tasaheel a comprehensive technical cooperation package to help introduce new financial products tailored to the needs of women-led MSMEs and improve access to finance. This package will also include capacity-building activities for specialized lending and monitoring.
The EBRD’s Women in Business program promotes women’s economic participation and provides financial, advisory, training, and mentoring support to women entrepreneurs.
The program covers a wide range of sectors and industries and focuses explicitly on women-led small businesses with fewer than 250 employees and less than €50 million in annual turnover. This loan marks the EBRD’s third engagement in Egypt’s microfinance sector.
Tasaheel, a subsidiary of MNT Halan, is Egypt’s largest microfinance institution and a non-bank SME lender with a market share of approximately 26% in the microfinance sector. Since its establishment in 2015, Tasaheel has continually enhanced its lending strategies and diversified its portfolio.
The company began its digital transformation in 2020 and added SME financing services in 2021. Tasaheel operates in 25 governorates, with more than 700 branches, and is committed to women’s economic and social empowerment. It has served 2.2 million customers, with women accounting for approximately 62% of the company’s clientele.
Tasaheel aligns with MNT Halan’s mission by prioritizing financial services and tailored products for underbanked segments.
The company focuses on fostering inclusion through empowerment, helping low-income earners and marginalized communities to generate higher incomes, improve their living standards, and support the development and economic growth of the wider community.
Egypt is a founding member of the EBRD. Since the Bank started operating there in 2012, it has invested almost €11.9 billion in 178 projects in the country.
The EBRD’s areas of investment include the financial sector, agribusiness, manufacturing and services, infrastructure projects such as power, municipal water and wastewater services, and contributions to the upgrade of transport services.
