2017-01-01
The Egyptian Minister of Investment and International Cooperation issued Decision No. 33 of 2017 to amend the Executive Regulations of the Capital Market Law by introducing Chapter Thirteen on beneficial ownership identification rules for market participants. The decision mandates that legal persons disclose detailed ownership and governance data, including ultimate beneficial owners holding 10% or more, whenever they issue shares, seek regulatory approvals for offers or listings, establish or acquire financial market entities, or engage in other activities affecting market stability. Additional layered disclosure requirements apply for corporate structures with 25% or more shareholders and investment funds, necessitating transparent reporting of trustees, settlors, beneficiaries, and nested ownership chains to ensure market transparency and regulatory oversight.
The Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation,
Having reviewed the Capital Market Law issued by Law No. 95 of 1993 and its executive regulations,
and the Central Deposit and Registration of Securities Law issued by Law No. (93) of 2000 and its executive regulations,
and Law No. 10 of 2009 regulating supervision over markets and non-banking financial instruments,
and Presidential Decree No. 387 of 2015 delegating certain authorities to the Prime Minister, designating him as the minister responsible for implementing the provisions of Law No. 10 of 2009,
and Presidential Decree No. 92 of 2017 reconstituting the government,
and Prime Ministerial Decision No. 2573 of 2015 delegating to the Minister of Investment the authorities of the minister responsible for implementing Law No. 10 of 2009,
and after obtaining the approval of the Board of Directors of the Financial Regulatory Authority,
and based on the opinion of the State Council.
A new chapter titled "Chapter Thirteen – Beneficial Ownership Identification Rules for Market Participants" shall be added to the Executive Regulations of the Capital Market Law issued by Decision of the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade No. (135) of 1993, as follows:
Article (359): For the purposes of applying the provisions of this Chapter, "Beneficial Owner" refers to the person on whose behalf transactions are carried out, whether directly or indirectly, for the purpose of deriving benefit.
Without prejudice to the disclosure rules and requirements stipulated by law or in these Regulations, legal persons shall comply with the beneficial ownership disclosure rules detailed in Appendix (7) attached to these Regulations in any of the following cases:
This Decision and the attached Appendix No. (7) shall be published in the Egyptian Gazette, and shall take effect from the day following the date of publication.
Dr. Sahar Nasr
20/12/2017
Disclosure to the Authority is required in all cases referred to in Article (359) regarding the following data and information:
In the cases referred to in items (2, 3, 4, 5, 6) of Article (359) of the Regulations, disclosure to the Authority is required regarding the data and information mentioned in the First section, in addition to the following additional disclosures:
If the legal person required to provide disclosures according to this Appendix takes the form of an investment fund – which is a legal relationship established by a settlor who entrusts a trustee to manage assets owned by the settlor for one or more beneficiaries, and this legal relationship may include appointing an independent supervisor for the fund and defining its authorities – the following data must be disclosed:
In the event that the investment fund is managed by a trustee licensed to conduct the activity by a regulatory authority in the relevant country, the disclosure of the aforementioned data shall be provided through a statement signed by the trustee(s) of the fund and notarized by a certified notary in the country of establishment.