GAFI CEO and Intesa Sanpaolo International Banks Division Chief Inaugurate AlexBank’s Renovated Branch at GAFI Headquarters
In line with the directives of Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT Minister), to strengthen engagement with the business community and banking sector and enhance services provided to investors, Dr. Mohamed Awad, CEO of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), received Ms. Paola Papanicolaou, Chief of the International Banks Division at Italy’s Intesa Sanpaolo Group; Mr. Paolo Vivona, CEO and General Manager of AlexBank; and Dr. Ziad Ahmed Bahaa El-Din, Non-Executive Chairman and representative of Intesa Sanpaolo Group on AlexBank’s Board of Directors, at GAFI’s headquarters.
The visit was held to inaugurate AlexBank’s branch at GAFI’s headquarters following the completion of its renovation and redevelopment works. The upgraded branch is expected to enhance banking services available to investors and facilitate their access to the financial services and products needed to launch, operate, and expand their investment activities in Egypt. It also reflects efforts to strengthen cooperation between GAFI, AlexBank, and Intesa Sanpaolo Group in support of the business community and investors.
Dr. Mohamed Awad welcomed the delegation, underscoring the importance of strengthening cooperation with Intesa Sanpaolo Group and AlexBank in support of an integrated investment environment and facilitating investors’ access to the financial and banking services they require. He noted that the inauguration of an AlexBank branch within GAFI’s headquarters represents a practical model of integrated investor services, enabling investors to access investment, government, and banking services through a single service point. This contributes to streamlining procedures, expediting transaction processing, and reducing both time and costs.
He added that GAFI attaches particular importance to strengthening its partnership with the banking sector, which represents one of the key pillars supporting investment and financing the expansion of projects. He noted that the presence of AlexBank within GAFI’s headquarters creates broader opportunities for cooperation in promoting investment opportunities and priority sectors identified by the State, supporting companies of various sizes seeking to expand their operations, and enhancing investors’ access to financing and banking solutions tailored to their needs.
For her part, Ms. Paola Papanicolaou, Chief of the International Banks Division at Intesa Sanpaolo Group, expressed her appreciation for the cooperation with GAFI, stressing the importance of the Egyptian market to Intesa Sanpaolo Group and the Group’s commitment to continuing to support and develop AlexBank’s operations and strengthen its role in serving individual and corporate customers and investors, as well as promoting entrepreneurship and job creation. She also expressed her interest in further strengthening cooperation to support Italian companies seeking to invest and expand in Egypt across various vital sectors of the Egyptian economy, while promoting Egyptian investment opportunities among the Italian business community.
Following the meeting, Dr. Mohamed Awad, Ms. Paola Papanicolaou, and Mr. Paolo Vivona inaugurated AlexBank’s branch at GAFI’s headquarters following the completion of its maintenance and renovation works. The upgraded branch is expected to further integrate services provided to investors and customers, enhance service quality, facilitate the conduct of business, and strengthen the attractiveness and competitiveness of Egypt’s investment environment.