رئيس مجلس الإدارة
سعيد اسماعيل
رئيس التحرير
مروة أبو زاهر

رئيس مجلس الإدارة
سعيد اسماعيل

رئيس التحرير
مروة أبو زاهر

Central Bank of Egypt Hosts Pan-African Seminar on Emerging Regulatory Developments

The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) recently hosted a landmark seminar titled “Current and Emerging

Regulatory Developments”, welcoming representatives from 23 African central banks.

This event reflects the CBE’s ongoing commitment to fostering collaboration across the

continent and sharing best practices in banking supervision.

The seminar addressed crucial topics under the Basel Accord frameworks, including Pillar II and

III, Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA), Recovery Plans, Sanctions, Governance, Cybersecurity

regulations, and FinTech innovations.

Experts emphasized enhancing risk management and preparing African central banks

for emerging financial challenges.

Central Bank of Egypt Advances Basel Accord Implementation

Deputy Governor of the CBE, Mr. Tarek El Kholy, highlighted the importance of regional integration:

“We always welcome cooperation and exchange of expertise with our brethren from African central

banks. This series of seminars organized and hosted by the CBE, as part of its chairmanship

of the Working Group on the implementation of Basel Accords, represents a role model for integration

among banking institutions.”

This seminar is part of the CBE-led Basel Implementation Working Group under the Community of

African Banking Supervisors (CABS), established during Egypt’s Annual Conference in June 2019.

It marks the first in-person seminar since 2021, following virtual sessions held during the pandemic.

Central Bank

Central Bank of Egypt Focuses on Pillar II and III Supervision

The seminar placed strong emphasis on strengthening supervisory frameworks based on

Basel Pillars II and III.

Participating banks discussed practical approaches to risk management, recovery planning, and

regulatory compliance.

The sessions provided a platform for knowledge-sharing and capacity-building across the continent.

Central Bank of Egypt Tackles Cybersecurity and FinTech Challenges

Given the rapid evolution of digital banking, the CBE addressed emerging regulatory

needs around cybersecurity and FinTech.

Experts presented case studies and regulatory guidelines to help African banks manage

technological risks while supporting financial innovation.

Since 2021, the CBE has hosted multiple virtual seminars under the Basel Implementation

Working Group, covering topics such as:

Basel III Post-Crisis Reforms (2022)

Climate-Related Financial Risks and Sustainable Finance (2023)

Effective Supervision: Building Supervisory Frameworks and Risk Management (2024)

These events have strengthened knowledge-sharing and professional development for African central bank officials.

Driving Continental Banking Integration

The seminar demonstrates Egypt’s leadership role in African banking supervision.

By promoting collaboration and capacity-building, the CBE continues to enhance regulatory

efficiency and financial stability across the continent.

Central Bank

DisrupTech Ventures Invests in Chari to Transform Morocco’s Retail Sector with Fintech

DisrupTech Ventures, a leading early-stage fintech venture capital fund, has announced

its investment in Chari, a Y Combinator–backed Moroccan startup transforming neighborhood

shops into financial access points. This marks DisrupTech’s first investment in Morocco and its

second in Africa outside Egypt, highlighting the fund’s commitment to fostering fintech innovation

and financial inclusion across the continent

Chari: Turning Local Shops into Digital Financial Hubs

Founded in 2020 by Ismael Belkhayat and Sophia Alj, Chari has developed a licensed fintech

platform that enables thousands of informal retailers in Morocco to operate as financial hubs

for their communities. Leveraging a payment institution license from the Central Bank of Morocco

Chari provides digital payments, micro-insurance, and instant working capital, giving consumers

access to essential financial services previously unavailable at the local level

While its mobile app also allows retailers to order consumer goods from FMCG distributors with

rapid delivery, Chari’s mission extends beyond e-commerce The company is digitizing financial flows

in Morocco’s informal economy, reducing dependency on cash, and embedding financial solutions

into daily retail operations, effectively building the financial backbone of the informal retail sector

DisrupTech Ventures Supports Transformative Fintech Models

Mohamed Okasha, Managing Partner at DisrupTech Ventures, commented

Our investment in Chari is a key milestone for DisrupTech By enabling small shops to

serve as financial gateways, Chari is laying the foundation for an inclusive fintech infrastructure

in Morocco This is exactly the kind of transformative financial model we aim to support across Africa

With over 20,000 retailers already onboarded, Chari is rapidly scaling to become the leading platform for

commerce and financial services in Francophone Africa

Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Growth

Ismael Belkhayat, CEO and Co-Founder of Chari, stated

We are thrilled to welcome DisrupTech Ventures as a strategic partner Their support will

accelerate our mission to transform every corner shop into a financial access point, helping drive

financial inclusion and economic growth across Morocco and Africa

As part of the Series A extension round, DisrupTech Ventures will join Chari’s board of directors

working closely with the founding team to guide its regional expansion and fintech vision

About DisrupTech Ventures

DisrupTech Ventures is a Cairo-based early-stage venture capital fund dedicated to investing

in bold founders reshaping fintech and digital infrastructure in Egypt and beyond Since its founding

in 2021, the fund has built a portfolio of more than 25 startups in payments, embedded finance, lending

and insurtech, with backing from leading global LPs including IFC, Proparco, Avanz, MSMEDA, and Axian

About Chari

Chari is a Morocco-based, Y Combinator backed fintech and e-commerce platform

founded in 2020 by Ismael and Sophia Belkhayat Holding a payment institution license

from the Central Bank of Morocco, Chari enables retailers to access embedded financial services

including payments, micro-insurance, and working capital while offering a digital marketplace

for consumer goods Chari is committed to digitizing informal retail and promoting financial inclusion

across Francophone Africa