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Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), headed by Dr. Islam Azzam, has issued Decision No. 2684 of 2026 requiring consumer finance companies to establish the technological infrastructure needed to connect their databases with the authority’s database. The FRA will issue the relevant technical and regulatory rules within six months, with the decision taking effect on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

Consumer Finance Data to Be Linked to FRA

The decision was published in the Official Gazette and requires consumer finance companies to make specified data available through electronic systems designed to connect their databases with the FRA’s database.

The required information includes data on customers immediately after approval of financing, as well as real-time transactions involving the purchase of goods or the acquisition of services by customers.

Companies will also provide classifications of the goods and services they finance, customer classifications based on repayment regularity, and information related to their financial solvency and associated indicators.

The system is intended to provide the FRA with continuously updated information on the consumer finance sector and the activities of companies operating in the market.

Strengthening Oversight and Early Risk Detection

Islam Azzam stressed the importance of connecting company databases with the FRA’s database to ensure that required information and classifications are made available on an ongoing basis.

According to Azzam, the flow of updated data will strengthen the authority’s supervisory and regulatory capabilities and support the early detection of potential risks or negative developments, helping promote market stability and protect the rights of market participants.

He added that continuously updated data, alongside the other rules currently applicable to companies, would allow the FRA to develop more accurate indicators of consumer finance activity and make them available to market participants. This, in turn, would help companies develop products more quickly in response to growing customer needs.

Integration with Real-Time Credit Information

The decision is part of a broader series of regulatory measures recently adopted by the FRA, including decisions on real-time connectivity between consumer finance and SME finance companies and the credit information company.

The measures also include accelerating the implementation of customer identity verification using one-time passwords (OTP), as well as inquiries into customers’ behavioral analysis assessments.

Azzam said the new decision complements the earlier measures and reflects the FRA’s continued efforts to develop the regulatory framework governing non-bank financial activities. The objective is to improve operational efficiency and financing decisions, facilitate supervision and monitoring, and keep pace with market changes, technological developments and evolving risks.