The philosophy of Amr El-Shafie has helped shape a strong presence for Emirates NBD in the retail banking market.
The retail banking market in Egypt is witnessing a deep structural transformation, driven by changing customer behavior, accelerating digital transformation, and growing demand for more flexible and customized financing products. This has pushed banks to fundamentally redesign their competitive strategies in order to expand market share and strengthen their presence in an increasingly competitive environment.
Within this context, the philosophy of Amr El-Shafie, CEO of Emirates NBD Egypt, who took office in early 2023, stands out in redefining growth within retail banking. His approach is based on operational flexibility, expanding the target customer base, and maximizing the use of digital solutions and innovation, rather than relying on traditional branch expansion and geographic spread.
This vision has been clearly reflected in a series of decisive executive moves, including a comprehensive restructuring of the retail banking division and the appointment of Mostafa Ramzy as Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management in early 2023, which enhanced management efficiency and improved the speed and quality of decision-making within one of the bank’s most critical sectors.
The strategy also extended to reshaping the operational infrastructure of the division by developing distribution channels, accelerating digital transformation, and launching more advanced financing products closely aligned with customers’ actual needs, strengthening the bank’s ability to compete in a highly dynamic and saturated market.
Financial indicators since El-Shafie assumed leadership clearly reflect the impact of this strategy, as the retail loan portfolio surged by 93.8% to reach EGP 24.22 billion by the end of March 2026, compared to EGP 12.50 billion at the end of 2022—an increase of EGP 11.72 billion.
This expansion did not come at the expense of portfolio quality, as asset quality slightly improved to 99.54% by March 2026, compared to 99.16% in 2022, supported by a decline in the non-performing loans ratio for individuals to 0.46% from 0.84%, reflecting strong risk management and sound credit policies.
The bank’s retail loan portfolio is structured according to a well-balanced framework that reflects a diversification strategy and return optimization, including personal loans, auto loans, and credit cards as the main growth drivers in retail banking.
Personal loans remain the largest component of the portfolio, growing by 70.8% during the period to reach EGP 18.57 billion by March 2026, compared to EGP 10.87 billion at the end of 2022.
Auto loans delivered exceptional growth, rising from EGP 1.07 billion in 2022 to EGP 3.39 billion by March 2026, a 217.5% increase, reflecting an aggressive expansion into one of the fastest-growing consumer finance segments.
Credit card balances also increased significantly by 305.2%, reaching EGP 2.25 billion by March 2026, compared to EGP 556.49 million in 2022.
Overall, the performance of Emirates NBD Egypt reflects a successful and balanced expansion strategy in retail banking under the leadership of Amr El-Shafie and his team, combining strong growth in retail lending with sustained portfolio quality.
As the market continues to evolve and competition intensifies, the key challenge for the bank remains maintaining this momentum while further enhancing innovation and digital expansion.
