EFG Hermes has launched five mutual funds on its EFG Hermes ONE app, giving retail investors direct access to the same fund products that institutional clients have long relied on. The move covers five distinct risk profiles, from money market to Shariah-compliant equities, all accessible through a single digital platform.

For years, professionally managed investment funds from Egypt’s leading investment bank were the preserve of institutional clients and high-net-worth investors. That changes with the launch of five EFG Hermes mutual funds on the EFG Hermes ONE app, which brings institutional-quality investment products to retail investors for the first time through EFG Hermes’s own digital platform.

Why You Should Care

Egyptian retail investors have historically had limited options for professionally managed, diversified investment products. Savings accounts, direct equity trading, and physical gold have been the default tools. Each carries limitations: savings accounts offer limited real returns in an inflationary environment, direct equity trading requires active market knowledge, and physical gold involves storage and logistics.

The launch of five fund products across different asset classes and risk profiles on a single mobile platform changes that calculus meaningfully. Whether you are managing short-term liquidity, seeking USD-denominated exposure, hedging against inflation, building long-term equity positions, or investing within a Shariah-compliant framework, there is now a professionally managed option built for you on a single app.

EFG Hermes ONE now carries five funds, spanning money markets, fixed income, gold, equities, and Shariah-compliant equities.

The Money Market Fund (EFG Hermes MM) focuses on capital preservation and short-term liquidity. It targets competitive yields with limited volatility, making it well-suited for investors managing cash rather than seeking long-term growth. The fund offers a competitive annualized return of 18.37% while helping you benefit from the key advantages of a money market fund: liquidity that gives you easy access to your cash when you need it, a relatively low-risk investment option for short-term savings, and the opportunity to earn attractive returns without locking your money away.

The USD Fixed Income Fund (EFG Hermes FI USD) holds USD-denominated assets, including Egyptian Eurobonds, giving investors exposure to hard-currency instruments. It is structured for investors managing currency risk as part of a broader portfolio.

The Gold Fund (EFG Hermes GLD) holds physical gold through institutional vaulting arrangements that meet international standards. It gives investors gold exposure through a regulated fund structure rather than direct ownership.

The Equity Fund (EFG Hermes EQ) is an actively managed portfolio of Egyptian-listed equities, designed for investors seeking long-term capital appreciation with professional stock selection rather than self-directed trading.

The Islamic Equity Fund (EFG Hermes EQ Shariah) draws on the EGX 33 Shariah Index and applies active stock selection within a Shariah-compliant framework, targeting long-term capital growth for investors seeking screened investment options.

“By making these funds available through EFG Hermes ONE, we are giving more people a straightforward way to access institutional-quality investment solutions,” said Karim Zaafan, Managing Director at EFG Hermes Asset Management. “Our goal is to empower investors with options that cater to a broad spectrum of risk appetites without requiring a large starting amount.”

The Ripple

The broader significance of this launch goes beyond the five funds themselves. EFG Hermes has spent decades building expertise in asset management for institutional clients. Making that same expertise accessible through a mobile app, without minimum investment thresholds that exclude most retail participants, is a structural shift in how professional investment management reaches Egyptian savers.

It also advances a wider story about financial inclusion in Egypt. The EFG Hermes ONE platform was built to lower financial barriers and bring more investors into the market. Adding managed funds to direct equity trading gives users a more complete investment toolkit, making the platform closer to a full-service investment account than a brokerage app.

For Egypt’s capital markets more broadly, expanding the retail investor base through accessible, regulated fund products is the kind of development that deepens market participation over time.

What to Watch

The more significant question raised by this launch is how quickly retail adoption follows institutional access. EFG Hermes has the brand recognition and the product depth. The test is whether retail investors, many of whom have never held a managed fund, will engage with these products at scale.

The breadth of the offering is worth noting. Five funds across money markets, fixed income, gold, equities, and Shariah-compliant equities cover most of the risk profiles a retail investor would need. Whether Egyptian savers use them as a complement to direct trading or as a replacement for it will shape how the platform evolves over the next year.