Egypt is aiming for at least two foreign currency bond issues in the first quarter of 2019, the finance minister said on Monday. Finance Minister Mohamed Maait declined to say exactly how much Egypt was seeking to raise. Previously, he had said the target was about $5 billion. "It can go up, it can go down. It depends on the moment of decision making," Maait said on the sidelines of a business conference.
Asked what currencies the bonds would be issued in, Maait only said: "It can be two or more ... in the next quarter, we are planning for the first quarter of 2019." Maait also said Egypt was aiming for economic growth of 5.8 percent in the current financial year that ends in June and for at least 6 percent in 2019-2020.