The bank sponsored the third MED-ALLIA Forum inaugurated by The Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry and the French Minister of State for Foreign Trade

CAIRO, EGYPT, December 8th, 2009 - Crédit Agricole Egypt participated as a co-sponsor in the MED-ALLIA Forum held for the first time in Cairo on December 7thand 8th at the Marriott hotel. The 2-day event was organized by UBIFRANCE and the French Economic Department in Cairo, in partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce in Egypt (CCFE). Mr. Michel Zanatta, CAE Retail & Commercial Banking Head spoke on December 7th during the Thematic breakfast "Doing Business in Egypt" offering an overview of the local economic status and insights about Banking in Egypt especially in relation to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

The Forum's primary objective is to foster partnerships between SMEs from Mediterranean countries. This year over 300 companies attended from 9 countries namely France, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Syria and Libya. Commenting on the bank participation, Mr. Henri Guillemin - CAE Managing Director said: "we are very enthusiastic to have taken part in this important Forum and have the chance to finance emerging business opportunities for SMEs across the Mediterranean. SMEs represent one of the most important segments of the Egyptian economy and thus, enjoy the government's extensive support".

During his presentation Mr. Zanatta shared with the attendees the portfolio of products and services offered by Crédit Agricole Egypt to cater the needs of SMEs. Those include: assets, liabilities, trade finance, online banking, investment and finance solution as well as foreign exchange products. "Crédit Agricole Egypt has been actively working on its SMEs division to provide businesses with an extensive product portfolio, high quality service and valuable financial advice. In addition, the Bank has launched, during this year, 9 business centres that will extend specialized and tailored services to all our corporate clients. Thus, Crédit Agricole Egypt has managed to gain the trust of more than 6000 Small and Medium enterprises all over Egypt", said Henri Guillemin.

MED-ALLIA Cairo 2009 is a multi-sector forum that aims at developing commercial exchanges and partnerships between French and Egyptian companies as well as enterprises of the region, thus joining the dynamics of the Union for the Mediterranean co-presided by France and Egypt.

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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.

For more information, please contact:
Rowaidah Bibers
TRACCS Egypt
Tel: (+202) 33046860
Fax: (+202) 33031219
Email: rowaidah.bibers@traccs.net 
Website: www.ca-egypt.com

© Press Release 2009