CAIRO / RankWire.AI / – Egypt’s net international reserves increased to an estimated $55.0723 billion at the end of June 2026. This marks the first time reserves surpassed $55 billion, establishing a new record. The Central Bank of Egypt announced this figure on July 8. Reserves saw a rise from $53.1342 billion at the close of May, representing a monthly increase of approximately $1.94 billion, or about 3.6%, which was the largest during the first half of the year.
At the end of December 2025, reserves stood at $51.4516 billion. They then grew to $52.5938 billion in January and reached $52.7455 billion in February. March saw reserves close at $52.8306 billion, followed by $53.0092 billion in April. In May, the total increased to $53.1342 billion before the notable jump in June. Official monthly reports indicate that Egypt’s foreign reserves grew each month in the first half of 2026.
Compared to December, June’s reserves are up by approximately $3.62 billion, or just over 7%. In January, the central bank stated that reserves covered about 6.3 months of imports. The June report did not update this import coverage ratio or specify the sources behind the monthly reserve increases. The central bank described the June figure as provisional, reporting it in millions of US dollars.
Reserves grow at a faster pace in June
Data from the central bank indicated that remittances totaled $39.2 billion from July 2025 through April 2026, representing a 33.2% increase from $29.4 billion during the same period in the previous year. Remittances for April alone reached about $4.3 billion, a 44% rise from roughly $3 billion in April 2025. The reports did not directly link these remittance figures to the June increase in Egypt’s net international reserves.
During the January-March 2026 quarter, Egypt’s current account deficit was $5.1 billion, up from $2.3 billion in the same period a year earlier. Higher remittances, tourism income, and Suez Canal revenues partially offset a broader trade deficit. Foreign direct investment inflows totaled $3.7 billion, slightly below last year’s $3.8 billion. These external account figures do not provide a detailed component breakdown explaining the June reserve surge.
External factors influence the record reserve level
On June 29, the International Monetary Fund and Egyptian authorities reached a staff-level agreement concerning Egypt’s seventh program review. The agreement also included the second review under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility. IMF staff noted that gross international reserves remained broadly stable at the end of March. The June net reserve figure came after these review discussions, representing the latest confirmed monthly data issued by Egypt’s monetary authority.
Reserves at the end of June surpassed all previous monthly levels reported by the Central Bank of Egypt. The $55.0723 billion total was nearly $2 billion higher than May’s figure and more than $3.6 billion above December 2025’s level. Official data show gradual monthly increases leading up to the significant June rise. The central bank did not specify the reasons behind this increase, leaving the record reserve figure as the key highlight of the announcement.