The real estate sector is pushing for an export strategy, environmental incentives, and regulatory reforms in Egypt

Egypt's real estate sector is increasingly emerging as one of the country's most important drivers of economic growth, with developers, regulators and investment leaders calling for a new wave of structural reforms aimed at transforming the market into a globally competitive investment destination.

In recent years, the Egyptian real estate market has witnessed rapid growth, supported by large-scale urban development projects, the growth of integrated smart cities, and increasing international interest in Egyptian real estate assets. Sector leaders believe that the sector has transcended its traditional role as a local housing market to become a strategic sector capable of generating foreign currency inflows, attracting international capital, and supporting long-term economic growth.

In this context, developers and stakeholders in the sector presented a series of recommendations focusing on enhancing real estate exports, improving investment competitiveness, accelerating sustainability efforts, and modernizing the legislative and financial frameworks that govern the sector.

Among the main proposals is developing a comprehensive national strategy to market Egyptian real estate internationally through a unified digital platform for marketing and contracting. Stakeholders called for strengthening cooperation with international brokers and legal advisors, in addition to establishing a specialized government body concerned with managing and promoting real estate exports.

Sector leaders also urged the authorities to remove tax obstacles facing real estate investment funds and accelerate the launch of the upcoming real estate market, which is expected to contribute to diversifying investment tools and attracting new categories of local and foreign investors.

Sustainability featured prominently in the discussions, with developers calling for special incentives for green and environmentally sustainable projects, in response to changing global demand. Participants stressed the importance of supporting the transformation of Egyptian cities into sustainable urban communities, while encouraging local production of environmentally friendly building materials to reduce costs and shorten the duration of project implementation.

كما أوصى المطورون بمنح “تراخيص ذهبية” للمشاريع العقارية، على غرار الحوافز المقدمة للاستثمارات الصناعية، لتسريع الإجراءات وتحسين كفاءة الاستثمار. وجددت الدعوات أيضًا إلى تسريع الإصلاحات التشريعية وإنشاء اتحاد مطوري العقارات المرتقب لتعزيز تنظيم السوق وخلق بيئة استثمارية أكثر تنظيمًا.

Stakeholders emphasized the importance of developing smart and sustainable projects in line with the changing expectations of foreign investors and changing global consumer trends. They also highlighted the need to improve the tourism investment climate and maximize its economic returns through stronger regulatory frameworks that guarantee the quality of tourism projects and their long-term sustainability.

One of the most prominent challenges raised during the discussions was the overlapping jurisdictions between tourism development bodies and environmental bodies with regard to natural reserve lands. The developers called for clearer regulations to resolve these disputes and provide more tourism investment opportunities.

For his part, Moatasem Ahmed, Director of the Investment Funds Department at the Financial Regulatory Authority, said that the Authority is working to develop legislative and regulatory frameworks that keep pace with changing market dynamics and attract new segments of local and foreign investors through innovative investment tools and digital platforms.

He added that the Financial Regulatory Authority held extensive discussions with developers, financial institutions and service providers to prepare regulations governing digital real estate investment platforms, which will provide various opportunities through fractional ownership models and structured real estate investments.

Meanwhile, Ahmed Sabour stated that the real estate sector in Egypt has transcended its traditional development role to become a major driver of economic growth.

He expected the Egyptian real estate market to grow from approximately 20.02 billion US dollars in 2024 to approximately 33.67 billion US dollars by 2029, which reflects the growing role of the sector as a basic pillar of the national economy.

Amr Sultan, CEO of LMD Egypt, explained that Egypt has the potential to achieve more than 30 billion US dollars annually from real estate exports, compared to about 1.5 billion US dollars achieved in 2025, which highlights the size of the untapped opportunities available if effective export mechanisms and supportive policies are applied.

For his part, Hisham Shoukry revealed that Egypt achieved nearly two billion US dollars in real estate exports during the fiscal year 2024/2025, with revenues expected to grow by between 10% and 20% during the fiscal year 2025/2026.

The growing calls for reform reflect a broader shift within Egypt