• Catalyst Partners shares rose nearly 20% on EGX debut, reaching EGP 12 per share from initial EGP 10.
• Trading is currently limited to qualified investors with experience in financial markets and minimum net worth of EGP 5 million.
• Chairman Maged Shawky expects a full public IPO by late 2026 after evaluations to attract individual investors.

Catalyst Partners

Recently the EGX listed shares of Egypt’s SPAC Catalyst Partners jumped nearly 20% in early trading on Sunday. This led to it reaching EGP 12 per share  compared to the initial trading price of EGP 10.

In an interview with Alarabiya Business, Maged Shawky, Chairman and Co-Founding Partner of Catalyst Partners Middle East, stated that trading was currently limited to qualified investors. This includes local, foreign, or Arab institutional investors, non-Egyptian or non-Arab foreign investors. Additionally, it includes investors with a minimum net worth of EGP 5M and at least 10 years of experience in financial markets or fund management.

Established in 2013, Catalyst Partners is an investment and financial services firm in the Middle East. It handles investment banking services, private equity investment and nonbanking financial services (NBFIs) through subsidiaries. 

IPO

Regarding the possibility of a public offering open to all investors, Shawky said the company is still in a growth and expansion phase. He also adds that a public offering would require several evaluations to make the company more attractive to individual investors. Furthermore, he notes that he expects the IPO could happen by late 2026.

Catalyst Partners began with EGP 10 million in capital, later raising it to EGP 235 million through a private placement. The firm then acquired two companies, the first was Qarady, a fintech and digital finance company. The second was its own leasing and factoring subsidiary, boosting its total capital to EGP 3.019 billion. 

Additionally, Shawky confirms plans for further capital increases with recent share gains enabling main shareholders to sell under listing rules. Meanwhile, it intends to reinvest proceeds to fund domestic and regional expansion, particularly in lending and consulting.