S&P Dow Jones Indices has decided to keep Egypt classified as an emerging market after completing consultations on its 2026 equity-market classifications, the Egyptian Exchange said in a statement on Friday.
The index provider formally notified the Egyptian Exchange that Egypt would not be reclassified and would retain its emerging-market status.
Egyptian Exchange Chairman Omar Radwan said the decision reflected the strength and development of the country’s financial market, as well as growing confidence among international financial institutions in the Egyptian economy and its ability to attract foreign investment.
“The continuation of Egypt’s emerging-market classification reinforces international financial institutions’ confidence in the depth and resilience of the Egyptian market and supports its ability to attract further foreign capital,” Radwan said.
He credited the decision to coordinated efforts by the government, the central bank, financial regulators, the finance and investment ministries and other market institutions, as well as reforms aimed at improving the investment climate.
Radwan said Egypt’s market-development programme was not aimed merely at preserving its current classification, but at improving the market’s efficiency and positioning it for higher rankings in the future.
Recent reforms have included the launch of a derivatives market, the activation of short-selling mechanisms, expanded digital services, upgrades to market technology and the introduction of new investment products. Authorities have also worked to improve disclosure, information access, market liquidity and the entry and exit of foreign investors.
S&P DJI had proposed in a consultation document released in June that Egypt be reviewed for a possible downgrade from emerging-market to frontier-market status. The proposal envisaged implementing the change, if approved, alongside an index rebalancing in September 2027.
The consultation period closed on July 31, 2026, after investors and other market participants were invited to submit their views.
S&P Dow Jones Indices is one of the world’s leading providers of index-based data, research and financial benchmarks, including the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
