Euromed Capital Forum

June 2010- Crédit Agricole Egypt Invests $ 5 million in Beltone Midcap Fund

2010-10-31T10:38:00Z

CAIRO, Egypt : 22 June 2010 - In the presence of Mr. Henri Guillemin, Managing Director of Credit Agricole Egypt and Mr. Hazem Barakat, Chairman of Private Equity, Credit Agricole Egypt and Beltone Midcap Management S.A. signed an agreement to invest 5 million USD in the new Midcap Fund. This new fund was initiated to provide support and help in developing the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector in Egypt. Under this agreement, CAE is the first multinational bank, and the second local bank to participate in this fund. “SMEs are considered the backbone of the Egyptian economy due to their significant role. At Credit Agricole Egypt we have been working vigilantly to develop this vital segment of the economy. Besides our diversified product portfolio, the bank provides financial advice for entrepreneurs, which has been translated into the greater confidence shown from SMEs clients” said Henri Guillemin, CAE Managing Director. “We are very happy to join hands with Beltone, Siparex as well as other renowned financial institutions such as the International Finance Corporation (World Bank) and the European Investment Bank. Through this agreement, the fund will support SMEs by funding their capital. This will help SMEs to increase their capital and business volume as well as allowing them to become more capitalised and therefore bankable”, he added.

In 2009, the bank launched several initiatives to empower the Egyptian SME sector.CAE launched the first platform of international trade in Egypt (www.egyp-import-export.com) to support international trade operators providing free access to information and business alerts. Also, the bank conducted extensive location and proximity studies. Accordingly, Credit Agricole Egypt has launched 11 business centres in Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Port Said and Sinai. The business centres are focused on serving companies as well as major industrial shipping and touristic areas, helping customers to execute all their banking activities in one place. “In general, SMEs represent an influential segment of the global economic activities worldwide. SMEs are significantly contributing to national GDP, especially the family SMEs that help in boosting various economic activities in Egypt. However, Some SMEs lack technical and managerial expertise, as well as solvency ; which negatively affects their growth potentials. Currently, our plan is to provide SMEs with necessary resources that would help them to overcome various obstacles generated from the global crisis” said Dr. Abdel Monem Omran, Managing Director of Belton Private Equity. “Although the fund will not manage the SMEs, it will help in developing their potentials especially those with real export capabilities. Our objective is to help SMEs financially while enhancing their standard performance and maximizing revenues on all levels. At the end, this will positively impact the fund overall performance and investment returns.” Since the Fund inception, the International Finance Corporation - a member of the World Bank, the European Investment Bank and the Export Development Bank of Egypt joined the Beltone MidCap Fund as Anchor Investors. It is worth mentioning that Beltone Midcap Investments has also invested in the fund with 5.5 million USD, the Arab Investment Bank with 1.5 million USD as well as the Fund Manager with one million USD and a total of individual investments of 500,000 USD. The fund is managed by a joint company formed by bringing together Beltone Private Equity's knowledge with Siparex international experience in SMEs fund management. Beltone is expecting the volume of the fund to reach 200 Million USD, divided in two sub funds as follows : 100 million USD to be invested in Egypt ; and 100 million USD to be invested in the GCC.

About Beltone Private Equity Beltone Private Equity was established in 2006 to capitalize on the unprecedented changes taking place in Egypt investment environment. Beltone Private Equity was created with a vision to combine the practical industrialist experience of Hazem Barakat with the investment experience of Beltone principals and the private equity team's regional and international expertise in managing and launching earliest PE funds in Egypt . As of the end of May 2010 Beltone Private Equity manages seven funds with total assets under management of EGP 2.8 billion.

About CAE CAE was established when Crédit Agricole SA, a leading global financial institution operating in more than 70 countries, and the Mansour & Maghraby Investment & Development Company (MMID) acquired the Egyptian American Bank and merged the network with Calyon Bank Egypt in September 2006. Today, CAE's committed team of experts offers a wide range of products and services designed to meet the demands of leading national and regional Corporations, SMEs, and retail clients, as well as high net worth customers. In addition to its network of branches conveniently located throughout the country, Crédit Agricole Egypt offers online banking services for easy access and convenient transactions (www.ca-egypt.com) in addition to its call center (19191) available 24 hours, 7 days a week.

About Sigefi (Siparex Group) With 30 years' experience and approximately €900 (820 as of today) million in assets under management, the Siparex Group is France's leading independent middle-market private equity specialist. The Group operates essentially in France and Southern Europe (Italy and Spain). Since 1994, alongside its fund management business in Europe, Sigefi has developed a fund advisory, management, and co-management business in the emerging markets. It has conducted several assignments for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the European Investment Bank (EIB), and International Finance Corp. (World Bank group). On the southern shore of the Mediterranean, it has helped launch and expand Tuninvest Finance Group (Tunisia) and Capital Invest, a subsidiary of BMCE (Morocco), which are the two largest private equity investment fund management companies in North Africa. It is a shareholder and board member of these two companies. Sigefi has also been conducting a number of advisory assignments in Algeria and Lebanon.

Dr. Abdel Monem Omran
Chief Investment Officer, Beltone Private Equity Dr. Omran is the Chief Investment Officer of Beltone Private Equity. He brings a long and extensive experience in the areas of project finance development, direct investment and management of private equity funds in Egypt, the Gulf and Europe. Dr. Omran joined the Industrial Bank of Kuwait in1976 as manager of project finance where he was responsible for the, evaluation and financial structuring of investments. He joined Helarb Management S.A. Switzerland, as a partner and Managing Director in 1987. Helarb is an investment firm with over SF 500 million in funds under management. Investments were mainly in Germany, France, and Switzerland. Dr. Omran served as the Managing Director of Arab Investment Company, one of the first Private Equity funds in Egypt 1997, promoted by the Arab Bank Ltd, Jordon and led the management team in making over E£ 400 million in investments. Dr. Omran holds a Phd degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of California (Berkeley).

Mr. Hazem Barakat
Chairman, Beltone Private Equity As well as holding the position of Chairman of Beltone Private Equity, Mr. Barakat is also CEO of MIRACO-Carrier. He is an experienced investor in private equity ventures as well as an accomplished business strategist. Mr. Barakat graduated from the New York Institute of Technology in 1982 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently a Member of the Advisory Council of the School of Business, Economics, and Communication at the American University in Cairo and a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Egyptian Economic Forum. He is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce, the British Egyptian Business Association, and the Egyptian Businessmen's Association.

Mr. Henri Guillemin
Managing Director, Crédit Agricole Egypt French born Henri Guillemin has a stellar track record in banking and finance spanning over 30 years, and three continents. Mr. Guillemin has a Masters in Economics from Paris Sorbonne, and Masters of Business Administration from Insead Fontainebleau in Paris, France. Mr. Guillemin began his career at Crédit Lyonnais in Paris in 1973, and moved six years later to Banque Indosuez where he quickly moved up the corporate ladder taking up key positions in Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and France. After more than four years as the CEO of Banque Saudi Fransi in Riyadh, Mr. Guillemin soon became Senior Vice President of the Middle East for the newly formed Crédit Agricole Indosuez in Paris, and continued to use his vast knowledge of the region till his appointment as Head of Middle East and Africa at Calyon in 2003. In January 2008, Mr. Guillemin moved back to the Middle East to take up his current position as Managing Director of Crédit Agricole Egypt.


June 2010- Crédit Agricole Egypt Invests $ 5 million in Beltone Midcap Fund

Source : Sigefi (Siparex Group)

May 2010- IFC Launches New Fund to Invest in Smaller Companies in Central Africa

2010-09-30T17:04:00Z

Washington, DC, May 10, 2010- IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today launched a new fund that will focus exclusively on investing in small and medium enterprises in central Africa, helping to improve access to finance, create employment, and reduce poverty in some of Africa's least developed countries.

IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, today launched a new fund that will focus exclusively on investing in small and medium enterprises in central Africa, helping to improve access to finance, create employment, and reduce poverty in some of Africa's least developed countries.

IFC is investing $12.5 million in equity in the Central Africa Small and Medium Enterprise ( SME ) Fund, which will make equity and equity-related investments in smaller businesses across the central African region. It will initially focus on companies in the Central African Republic.

The fund will be managed by XSML, a social investment fund manager based in the Netherlands, and Cenainvest, an SME fund manager based in Cameroon. With IFC's support, XSML and Cenainvest will aim to mobilize a total of $25 million for the fund from other development finance institutions and the private sector.

Jan Vos, Managing Partner at XSML, said, “By providing financing for small and medium enterprises, the Central Africa SME Fund will address a key constraint to the further development of Africa's private sector. The fund will aim to be an important source of socially responsible financing for companies across central Africa and contribute to reducing poverty across the region. We are very proud and pleased to help African entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses that create jobs and income.”

Companies that the fund invests in will also receive advice on implementing better corporate governance, raising environmental and social performance, and other business support. The business support services facility will aim to improve the long-term and sustainable development of investee companies by advising them both before and after they receive financing.

The Central Africa SME Fund is the first of several private equity funds under the SME Ventures program that IFC aims to launch in the coming months to invest in smaller businesses in Africa's least developed regions and in countries emerging from conflict. All of the funds will leverage the expertise of locally based fund managers and combine financing with business support services and advisory to smaller business.

IFC Executive Vice President and CEO Lars Thunell, said, “Supporting the growth of small and medium enterprises in Africa's poorest economies and in countries emerging from conflict is a strategic priority for IFC in the region. The Central Africa SME Fund is an important part of IFC's efforts to improve access to finance for entrepreneurs and create opportunities for people in places that need it the most.”

The fund's individual investments will be between $100,000 and $500,000, targeting companies in several sectors, including agribusiness, information technology, telecommunications, transportation, warehousing, and tourism.

About IFC IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new investments totaled $14.4 billion in fiscal 2009, helping channel capital into developing countries during the financial crisis. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.


May 2010 - IFC Launches New Fund to Invest in Smaller Companies in Central Africa

Source : www.Media-Newswire.com

Juin 2010 - Le marché maghrébin de l'électricité en voie d'intégration au marché européen

2010-07-31T15:30:00Z

La Déclaration d'Alger, adoptée à l'issue d'une rencontre des ministres maghrébins chargés de l'Energie, engage les signataires à créer un marché régional de l'électricité, première étape vers l'intégration au marché européen de l'électricité.

ALGERIE. Les trois pays du Maghreb veulent s'acheminer vers la réalisation d'un marché maghrébin de l'électricité qui permettra ensuite leur pleine intégration au marché européen. A l'issue de la première réunion du Conseil des ministres maghrébins de l'Energie (1) qui s'est tenue à Alger le 20 juin 2010, les participants ont adopté la « Déclaration d'Alger » par laquelle ils s'engagent à poursuivre leurs efforts pour harmoniser les cadres législatif et réglementaire ainsi que les conditions techniques et économiques d'un marché « non discriminatoire, transparent » et qui fera « l'objet d'une tarification adéquate ».

Un plan d'action à moyen terme, sur la période 2010-2015 a également été adopté. Il prévoit la construction de lignes d'interconnections de grande puissance en vue d'améliorer les échanges électriques entre les trois pays et de créer un marché maghrébin de l'électricité.

Pour le ministre algérien de l'Energie et des Mines, Youcef Yousfi, les échanges avec les pays voisins sont « en plein essor ». Une interconnexion de 400 kV relie déjà l'Algérie au Maroc et des exportations se font déjà en direction de ce dernier pays.

Des objectifs ambitieux

Mais l'interconnexion algéro-marocaine n'est qu'une étape. Elle devrait déboucher sur le transport de l'électricité vers l'Espagne et, à travers elle, vers tous les pays du Vieux continent. Une interconnexion entre la Tunisie et l'Italie est également prévue. Au total c'est une gigantesque boucle électrique euro-méditerranéenne qui est prévue, s'étendant du Maroc à Israël et du Portugal à la Grèce. Autre gros dossier, le projet Desertec, qui prévoit d'alimenter l'Europe en énergie électrique par câbles sous-marins à partir de centrales solaires implantées dans le Sahara en général et algérien en particulier.

Youcef Yousfi estime ainsi que la création d'un marché régional de l'électricité constituera « le socle d'une coopération bénéfique entre les deux rives de la Méditerranée ».

La rencontre d'Alger visait en effet à mettre en oeuvre le protocole d'accord signé à Rome en décembre 2003 par les ministres chargés de l'Energie des trois pays et la Commission européenne, lors d'un Conseil des ministres euro-méditerranéen. Ce protocole s'inscrivait lui-même dans le cadre du processus de Barcelone lancé en 1995.

Vers un mémorandum d'entente algéro-européen

La déclaration finale entérinée à Alger engage les trois pays à « poursuivre les réformes de leurs secteurs énergétiques nationaux et à mettre à profit les possibilités offertes par la coopération bilatérale et multilatérale entre leurs pays respectifs et l'UE afin de mener à bien ces réformes et de développer leurs secteurs énergétiques nationaux ». Ces réformes s'inscrivent dans la perspective de « création d'un espace de libreéchange entre les pays méditerranéens et l'UE ».

Lors d'un point de presse organisé à l'issue de la réunion, le Commissaire européen à l'Energie, Günter H. Oettinger, a exprimé sa conviction que l'Algérie et l'UE pouvaient signer un mémorandum d'entente dans le domaine de l'énergie avant de conclure un Accord stratégique.

L'Algérie, deuxième fournisseur de gaz de l'Europe, après la Russie, et 13ème fournisseur de pétrole, conditionne la conclusion d'un tel Accord à la libre circulation des personnes. Youcef Yousfi a rappelé que l'Algérie a engagé des réformes depuis 2002 dans le secteur énergétique en vue de « l'instauration d'un marché intérieur de l'énergie libre, ouvert et transparent ». En vertu de la loi sur l'électricité et la distribution de gaz de 2002, il y a liberté d'importation et d'exportation de l'électricité.

L'épineuse question du prix

Mais l'Algérie renoncera-t-elle à l'un des rares avantages économiques dont elle disposait jusqu'ici, à savoir le bas prix de son électricité ?

Au moment où les autorités du pays soulignent les conséquences néfastes de l'Accord d'association avec l'UE (abaissement des barrières douanières au profit des produits importé dans le pays), nombre d'experts s'interrogent sur la signification exacte des termes de « tarification adéquate », inscrit dans la Déclaration d'Alger, au sein d'un marché compétitif, ouvert et non discriminatoire. Ils considèrent que l'unification envisagée de la tarification électrique poussera inexorablement à la hausse le prix du kilowatt/heure en Algérie.

Cette perspective n'a d'ailleurs pas été masquée par le P-DG de Sonelgaz qui a déclaré le 21 juin 2010 à la radio nationale chaîne 3 qu'il fallait « aller vers une augmentation des tarifs. […] Il est important d'aller vers le prix réel ».

(1) Une instance qui regroupe les ministres chargés de l'Energie d'Algérie, du Maroc et de Tunisie ainsi que le commissaire européen chargé de l'Energie. Présents comme observateurs, la Libye et la Mauritanie ont été invitées à rejoindre le Conseil.


Juin 2010 - Le marché maghrébin de l'électricité en voie d'intégration au marché européen

Source : www.econostrum.info

Juillet 2010- Le Maroc : le petit dragon de la Méditerranée

2010-06-30T08:56:00Z

Une vague d'investissement déferle depuis trois ans sur le royaume. Le résultat d'une politique industrielle affirmée, de bons indicateurs économiques et de l'ouverture en 2012 de l'usine Renault de Tanger.

Depuis auelaues semaines, le Maroc inonde les grands investisseurs mondiaux de plaquettes publicitaires vantant le dynamisme de son économie. Avec ce genre de campagne, le souci, c'est que souvent le pays en vedette à quelque chose à faire oublier. De fait, le Maroc se situe au 128e rang du classement Doing Business de la Banque mondiale et au 73e de l'étude de compétitivité du World Economic Forum. Des notations qui font enrager les élites marocaines. A juste titre, si l'on en croit le flot corissant d'industriels adeptes du "Made in Morocco". Tel Nexans, qui vient d'ouvrir une usine de câbles pour Airbus à Mohammedia, une ville industrielle au nord de Casablanca.


Juillet 2010- Le Maroc : le petit dragon de la Méditerranée

Source : L'Usine nouvelle

Conférence de Géraud Poumarède

2010-06-15T19:46:02Z

Pour voir la vidéo, veuillez vous connecter ou vous inscrire ! Conf_Poumarede.swf

Conférence de Géraud Poumarède

2010-06-15T19:46:02Z

Pour voir la vidéo, veuillez vous connecter ou vous inscrire ! Conf_Poumarede.swf

15 Juin 2010 - Mise en ligne du nouveau site de l'Association Euromed-Capital Forum

2010-06-15T17:14:00Z

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15 Juin 2010 - Mise en ligne du nouveau site de l'Association Euromed-Capital Forum

2010-06-15T17:14:00Z

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2010-06-06T23:13:11Z

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