Arab Finance: The Egyptian Exchange (EGX) has topped Arab stock markets in June 2026, with a growth in market capitalization of 56.9% compared to June 2025, according to data from the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE).
The increase came amid broader gains across the market. The benchmark EGX30 index climbed 40.6% in 2025 and advanced a further 33.5% by mid-August 2026.
Trading activity also accelerated, with the value of listed-share transactions reaching approximately EGP 579 billion in the first four months of 2026, up 62% year on year (YoY). Daily trading value recently exceeded EGP 18 billion, compared with an average of about EGP 5 billion in 2025.
The expansion extended to the investor base, as more than 420,000 new investors entered the market during the first seven and a half months of 2026, surpassing the 299,000 recorded throughout 2025.
The gains coincided with changes to Egypt’s legal, regulatory, and tax framework. Under legislation published in July, capital gains from the sale of EGX-listed securities were exempted from income tax for resident taxpayers and subjected instead to stamp duty.
The amended rules impose a stamp duty of 0.05% on each party to a listed-securities transaction, while same-day purchases and sales of the same securities are subject to a reduced rate of 0.025% per party. The unified rate lowered the duty imposed on non-resident buyers and sellers by 60% from the previous 0.125%.
The reforms also introduced tax incentives for qualifying large companies that list shares on the EGX. Eligible companies may deduct 15% of their corporate income tax liability for three years from the listing date, with the incentive potentially extended for another three years.
As the government targets further state offerings and the market anticipates additional public and private initial public offerings (IPOs), rising liquidity, investor participation, foreign inflows, market capitalization, and trading activity are supporting the EGX’s growth and creating room for further listings and investment.
