H.E. Mr. Hassan Abdalla, Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), headed the Egyptian delegation in the first 2025 meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in South Africa. Egypt’s delegation included of Mr. Rami Abulnaga, Deputy Governor of the CBE for Monetary Stability, and Mr. Yasser Sobhi, Vice Minister of Finance for Fiscal Policies.
The two-day event, addressed South Africa’s priorities for its G20 presidency and the future vision for 2025, focusing on the enhancement of economic cooperation to tackle growth challenges, while capitalizing on available opportunities. Additionally, the discussions covered the developments of the international financial architecture, the financial sector issues, and sustainable finance.
During the meetings, Mr. Hassan Abdalla, highlighted that the forum provides a valuable platform for participants to discuss current economic and financial issues, exchange expertise, and propose innovative financing solutions to strengthen global development efforts. He also emphasized on the critical role of Multilateral Development Institutions in this regard.
In that respect, Mr. Abdalla reaffirmed that the G20 can foster a dialogue with Credit Rating Agencies regarding the methodologies related to the Multilateral Development Institutions, as well as capitalizing on the technological advancements in streamlining cross-border payment settlements, while maintaining robust data privacy and security protocols.
Furthermore, Mr. Abdalla discussed the mechanisms of promoting sustainable finance and considering the associated adverse risks of climate change. He pointed out the necessity of supporting Public-Private Partnerships, availing access to sustainable finance including green bonds, as well as strengthening risk-sharing mechanisms; such as blended finance and credit guarantees.
In the same context, Vice Minister of Finance emphasized the need for a balanced and gradual approach for tax reforms, ensuring both the support for economic growth and the reduction of inflationary pressures, thereby fostering economic stability. Mr. Sobhi also highlighted the critical role of digitalization in enhancing the efficiency of tax policies and ensuring robust compliance with them. Furthermore, he stressed on intensifying efforts to establish a more equitable international taxation system, which guarantees each country receives its fair share of financial inflows, aligned with its development needs and priorities.
Noteworthy, the Deputy Governor of the CBE participated in the Second G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies Meeting, where the discussions focused on reviewing and evaluating the operational procedures of the G20 Finance Track workstreams. Moreover, he participated in the First BRICS Finance and Central Bank Deputies (FCBD) Meeting, held on the sidelines of the G20 meetings. The meeting provided an opportunity to review the priorities set by the Brazilian Presidency during its leadership of the BRICS group, with a particular emphasis on the central bank-related issues.
Notably, Egypt’s participation in the 2025 Meetings of the G20, comes upon the invitation from South Africa, which chairs the G20 during the year from the beginning of December 2024, till the end of November 2025, under the theme “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability.” This year marks Egypt’s fifth participation in the G20 meetings since the Group’s inception, and the third consecutive time.
