Last checked 2 November 2026. Omar Hamdy, on the lender's side, in Cairo. Written in a personal capacity.

Facts: Egypt's sustainable finance and CBAM exposure

Dated figures, each with its primary source, a link and the date it was queried or published. I checked every figure here against its source text. Each has a fixed link and a button to copy the citation.

Suggested citation

Omar Hamdy, omarhamdy.com/facts/, accessed 2 November 2026

Egypt's CBAM exposure

EUR 2.78bn
The EU imported EUR 2.78bn of CBAM goods from Egypt in 2025, about 6.54 million tonnes.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-cbam-goods-2025
22.5%
CBAM goods were 22.5% of everything the EU imported from Egypt in 2025 (EUR 12.36bn).
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-cbam-share-of-egypt-exports
5.5% by tonnes
Egypt supplied 5.5% of the CBAM goods the EU imported from outside the EU in 2025 by tonnes, and 2.5% in EUR.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-egypt-share-extra-eu
54.6%
Fertilisers were 54.6% of Egypt's CBAM goods to the EU in 2025 by worth: EUR 1,519.8m and 3.75 million tonnes.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-fertilisers-share
44.3%
Egypt supplied 44.3% of the urea the EU imported from outside the EU in 2025 by tonnes (3.29 of 7.41 million tonnes), worth EUR 1,325.9m.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-urea-share
EUR 615.5m
EU imports from Egypt of aluminium goods in CBAM scope rose to EUR 615.5m in 2025, from EUR 427.4m in 2023.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-aluminium-2025
EUR 556.9m
EU imports from Egypt of iron and steel goods in CBAM scope fell to EUR 556.9m in 2025, from EUR 927.6m in 2023.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-steel-2025
1.65 million tonnes
The EU imported 1.65 million tonnes of cement and clinker from Egypt in 2025, 11.6% of what it imported from outside the EU, up from 0.46 million tonnes in 2023.
Source Eurostat Comext, dataset DS-045409, reporter EU, imports, annual; sums of the CN codes in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2023/956 ec.europa.eu
Date Queried 2 November 2026, dataset version 16 October 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-cement-2025

The CBAM rules that set the cost

10%, 20%, 30%
Egypt's CBAM default figures for cement, iron and steel, aluminium and hydrogen are raised by 10% in 2026, 20% in 2027 and 30% from 2028; for fertilisers the mark-up is 1% in 2026 and every year after.
Source Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1740, Annex I (replacing Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2621), Official Journal L, 31 July 2026 eur-lex.europa.eu
Date Published 31 July 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-default-markup
1.390 tCO2e per tonne
Egypt's default figure for most solid urea (CN 3102 10 19) is 1.390 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of urea, before the mark-up.
Source Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/1740, Annex I (replacing Annex I of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2621), Official Journal L, 31 July 2026 eur-lex.europa.eu
Date Published 31 July 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-urea-default
50 tonnes
An EU importer whose CBAM goods do not exceed 50 tonnes of net mass in a calendar year, all CN codes added together, is exempt from the CBAM obligations.
Source Regulation (EU) 2025/2083, Article 1(2) (new Article 2a) and Annex II (new Annex VII, point 1), Official Journal L, 17 October 2025 eur-lex.europa.eu
Date Published 17 October 2025. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-50-tonne-threshold
1 February 2027
Member States start selling CBAM certificates on a common central platform from 1 February 2027.
Source Regulation (EU) 2025/2083, Article 1(16)(a) (Article 20(1)), Official Journal L, 17 October 2025 eur-lex.europa.eu
Date Published 17 October 2025. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-certificate-sales
30 September 2027
The first annual CBAM declaration, covering goods imported in 2026, is due by 30 September 2027.
Source Regulation (EU) 2025/2083, Article 1(5)(a) (Article 6(1)), Official Journal L, 17 October 2025 eur-lex.europa.eu
Date Published 17 October 2025. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-first-declaration
97.5%
EU producers of CBAM goods keep 97.5% of their free allocation in 2026; the CBAM factor falls each year to 14% in 2033 and no free allocation is kept for them from 2034.
Source Directive 2003/87/EC, Article 10a(1a), as inserted by Directive (EU) 2023/959, Official Journal L 130, 16 May 2023 eur-lex.europa.eu
Date Published 16 May 2023. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-cbam-factor-2026

Egyptian rules for lenders and borrowers

EGP 100 million
FRA Decision 36 of 2026 requires companies in non-bank financial activities whose issued capital or net equity exceeds EGP 100 million to file a verified annual carbon footprint report covering Scopes 1 and 2.
Source FRA Board Decision No. 36 of 2026, Article 1, Al-Waqai Al-Misriya, issue 39 (supplement b) fra.gov.eg
Date Published 17 February 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-fra36-threshold
31 December 2026
The first carbon footprint report under FRA Decision 36 is due by 31 December 2026, moved from 30 June 2026.
Source FRA Board Decision No. 115 of 2026, Article 1, Al-Waqai Al-Misriya, issue 130 (supplement a) fra.gov.eg
Date Published 17 June 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-fra36-deadline
20% within 90 days
Companies under FRA Decision 36 must offset 20% of the annual emissions in their report within 90 days of filing it, with carbon credits registered in the FRA's Climate Project Registry and bought through the regulated voluntary carbon market.
Source FRA Board Decision No. 36 of 2026, Articles 2 and 3, Al-Waqai Al-Misriya, issue 39 (supplement b) fra.gov.eg
Date Published 17 February 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-fra36-offset
20%
A building is EDGE Certified when it shows at least 20% savings in energy, water and embodied energy in materials; EDGE Advanced needs 40% or more in on-site energy savings.
Source IFC EDGE, "Certify" page, edgebuildings.com edgebuildings.com
Date Checked 2 November 2026. Checked 2 November 2026. #f-edge-threshold

How to use these figures

Suggested citation: Omar Hamdy, omarhamdy.com/facts/, accessed 2 November 2026.
Each figure has a fixed link (#) that will not change. Quote the figure with its primary source and date.
Compiled in a personal capacity, from published texts and data. This is not a fact-check and not legal advice.
The full trade data, with a CSV file, is in the Egypt CBAM exposure map.

Terms used in this document

CBAM: An EU charge on the carbon in imported steel, aluminium, cement, fertiliser, electricity and hydrogen. EU importers pay it, so they ask their suppliers for emissions data.
Default value: The emissions figure per tonne the EU uses for your product when your plant cannot give verified data.
Mark-up: An extra percentage the EU adds to the default figure each year, so that real data pays off.
CN code: The EU's eight-digit customs code for a product. CBAM lists the goods it covers by these codes.
CBAM certificate: The unit an EU importer buys and hands in for each tonne of emissions embedded in its imports.
Free allocation: Free emission permits EU producers still receive. CBAM cuts the importer's bill to match, by less each year until 2034.
CBAM factor: The yearly percentage that sets how much of the free allocation is still deducted: 97.5 per cent in 2026, nothing from 2034.
FRA: Egypt's regulator for finance outside banks: the stock market, insurance, leasing, factoring, microfinance and consumer finance.
EDGE: A green building certificate from IFC. A building qualifies when its design saves at least 20 per cent on energy, water and the energy in its materials.