Egyptian Exchange Eases Currency Access as Dollar Demand Cools
Cairo - November 13, 2025 – A leading exchange company, backed by a state bank, is now permitting customers too purchase up to $300 in foreign currency without requiring travel documentation, according to statements made by two company officials.The policy, reinstated after a year-long suspension, reflects a current surplus of foreign exchange and reduced customer demand.
The exchange company is affiliated with a consortium of three government banks – Al-Ahly, Misr, and Cairo – operating a network of approximately 200 branches nationwide.These companies aim to facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies.
Officials attribute the policy change to a recent weakening of the dollar against the Egyptian pound. Over the past three months, the pound has strengthened, reaching 47.15 pounds to the dollar for purchases and 47.25 pounds for sales at the close of trading today. This increase is linked to rising foreign exchange inflows from tourism, remittances from Egyptians working abroad, and foreign investment in treasury bills.
“The supply of foreign exchange has reached 90-95% of demand during the last two months, particularly for the dollar and Saudi riyal,” stated a director at the government exchange company. The dollar and Saudi riyal are currently the most readily available currencies,followed by the euro,British pound,and UAE dirham. Exchange companies are reportedly selling excess dollar holdings to their affiliated banks daily due to limited purchase requests.
The move comes as the Central Bank’s liberalization of the exchange rate has effectively eliminated the black market for currency trading that prevailed throughout 2022, 2023, and early 2024. Recent decisions by banks to remove restrictions on dollar deposits and increase limits on credit card usage both within and outside of Egypt are further bolstering confidence in the country’s economic stability and it’s progress in overcoming dollarization challenges.
