Egypt FRA License Inquiry Process | Financial Regulatory Authority Compliance Guide

1. FRA

1.1 Background

The Financial Regulatory Authority ( FRA , Arabic: الهيئة العامة للرقابة المالية ) was established in July 2009 through the merger of three former regulatory bodies:

• Capital Markets Authority (CMA)

• Insurance Supervisory Bureau

• Mortgage and Lease Finance Authority

Its purpose is to unify the supervision of non-bank financial sectors and enhance market transparency and investor protection.

📌Official website : https://fra.gov.eg

1.2 Scope of supervision

FRA is responsible for the supervision of all non-bank financial services in Egypt, including:

• Securities market (brokers, securities companies, fund companies, investment advisors)

• Insurance and reinsurance

• mortgage companies

• Financial leasing and factoring companies

• Private Equity and Venture Capital

• Microfinance and Consumer Finance Companies

👉 Banking (commercial banks) is the responsibility of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) , which is separate from the regulatory scope of the FRA.

2. FRA License Type

2.1 Securities and Investment

• Brokerage License (Securities Brokerage)

• Asset Management License

• Investment Fund License (Investment Fund Management)

• Financial Advisory License

👉Evidence : Capital Market License Categories Officially Listed by FRA
https://fra.gov.eg/en/capital-markets/

2.2 Insurance and mortgage loans

• Insurance & Reinsurance License

• Mortgage Finance License

2.3 Financial leasing and factoring

• Leasing License

• Factoring License

2.4 Consumer Finance and Microcredit

• Consumer Finance License

• Microfinance License

👉 Case: Contact Financial Holding ( official website ) → A consumer finance and leasing company registered with the FRA.

3. How to check FRA license

3.1 Official Website Entrance

FRA provides an online directory and notices of licensed institutions:

• List of licensed institutions : https://fra.gov.eg/en/listings/

• Announcements and news : https://fra.gov.eg/en/news/

3.2 Query steps

Step 1: Access the licensed company directory

https://fra.gov.eg/en/listings/

Step 2: Select a category

• Capital Market Companies

• Insurance & Reinsurance

• Leasing & Factoring

• Consumer Finance & Microfinance

Step 3: Enter your company name

For example: EFG Hermes Holding SAE (Egypt’s largest securities firm and investment company).

Step 4: Verify the results

• Full company name (English + Arabic)

• License Type

• Status (Active / Revoked)

• address

Step 5: Cross-validation

• This can be cross-verified through the Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX) official website 👉 https://www.egx.com.eg

4. Query Examples

Example 1: Legitimate Securities Company

• Input: EFG Hermes Holding SAE

• Result: Appeared on the FRA licensed brokerage list.

• EGX Member Firms

Example 2: Legitimate consumer finance company

• Input: Contact Financial Holding

• Result: Appears on the FRA's list of registered consumer finance and leasing companies.

Example 3: Illegal Forex Platform

• Input: ABC Forex, an overseas foreign exchange website

• Result: No records in the FRA system.

• May appear in FRA Investment Alerts :
  👉 FRA Investor Warnings

V. FRA Investor Protection and Penalty Mechanism

5.1 Investor Warning Announcement

The FRA regularly issues Investor Alerts to warn the public about illegal investment platforms.
👉 Investor Warnings

5.2 Penalties and Enforcement

FRA has the power to impose administrative penalties and revoke licenses.
👉 Sanctions & Decisions

📌Case Study :
In 2022, the FRA issued cease-and-desist orders and imposed fines on several financial leasing companies that were operating without a license.

VI. Advantages and Limitations of FRA

6.1 Advantages

• Unified supervision : covers all non-bank financial services, centralized and efficient.

• Openness and transparency : The list of licensed companies and penalty announcements are open to the public.

• International cooperation : FRA maintains cooperation with IOSCO (International Organization of Securities Commissions).

6.2 Limitations

• Lack of clear regulation for retail foreign exchange trading : The FRA does not issue retail foreign exchange licenses.

• Language issues : Some announcements are only in Arabic.

• Limited market size : There are fewer investment tools compared to developed markets in Europe and the United States.

VII. Investor Compliance Recommendations

1. First check the FRA official website list : https://fra.gov.eg/en/listings/

2. Cross-verify EGX directory : https://www.egx.com.eg

3. Pay attention to warning announcements : FRA Investor Warnings

4. Beware of forged licenses : FRA has previously exposed cases of fraudulent platforms forging documents.

5. Reject promises of high returns : The FRA explicitly warns against “fixed-income investment scams.”

8. Conclusion

Egypt's FRA (Financial Regulatory Authority) is the highest regulatory agency in Egypt's non-bank financial sector, covering securities, insurance, leasing, consumer finance, microcredit, etc.

Investors should:

1. Log in to the FRA official website directory to check the license plate;

2. Verify whether you are an EGX member ;

3. Review investment warning and penalty announcements ;

4. Be cautious of any overseas foreign exchange platform that claims to have an "Egyptian financial license."

📌Official portal summary :

• FRA official website: https://fra.gov.eg

• List of licensed companies: https://fra.gov.eg/en/listings/

• Investor Announcement: https://fra.gov.eg/en/news/

• EGX official website: https://www.egx.com.eg