Your first share order in Egypt: account, custody, order types, costs

To buy a share on the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), you need an account with a brokerage licensed by the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA). You sign a brokerage agreement and a custody agreement, add money, then place an order. Your shares are recorded in your name at the central depository, not held by the app.

This guide walks through those steps, the two order types you will use most, and what each order really costs since the July 2026 tax change.

Who does what when you buy a share

Three parties stand between you and the exchange. Knowing who does what tells you who to ask when something goes wrong.

The custodian matters most. Thndr's help centre, for example, says every client signs a Custody Services Agreement that lets the firm safekeep securities and handle dividends. Other firms use similar agreements. Read yours: it says who holds your shares and how dividends reach you.

Step 1: check the broker is licensed

Any firm that takes your orders must appear on the FRA's register of licensed entities. Search it by the firm's legal name, which is often longer than the app's name. The FRA also publishes a "negative list" of unlicensed pages and firms.

The firms below are some of those used by individual investors through apps or online accounts. Each has a record on the FRA's website, checked in October 2026. The list is alphabetical, not complete, and not a ranking or recommendation.

Licences, names and fees change. Check the register yourself on the day you open an account, and ask the firm for its full fee sheet before you sign.

Step 2: open the account

Most firms now open accounts in the app or online. Expect three parts.

1. Identity (KYC). Egyptian nationals need a valid national ID. EFG Hermes One's checklist (October 2026) also asks for a bank account number at a bank in Egypt and one extra document, such as a passport, driving licence or recent utility bill.
2. Agreements. A brokerage agreement for placing orders and a custody agreement for holding your shares. Thndr says both must be approved before your first buy.
3. Investor code. The exchange gives each investor one unified code, and your broker usually requests it for you.

Young people can invest too. Under an FRA decree announced in January 2025, people aged 15 to 21 with a national ID can buy and sell listed shares. They are limited to money they earned or were given, a portfolio of up to EGP 40,000, and no margin or short selling.

Step 3: add money and read your balance

You transfer money from your bank account or another method your broker offers. Your app will usually show two kinds of cash:

• Buying power: money you can use to buy now.
• Settled or withdrawable cash: money you can move back to your bank.

After you sell, the trade settles through MCDR before the money becomes withdrawable. Check your broker's help pages for how many business days that takes.

Step 4: choose an order type

You will mostly use two order types. The descriptions below follow Thndr's help centre (October 2026), and other brokers use the same EGX rules.

A stop sell order waits until a price falls to a trigger you choose, then becomes a market sell. In a sharp fall it can sell well below the trigger.

Two EGX rules matter for beginners:

• Daily price limits. On the main market a share can move at most 20% up or down from the previous close in one day. A share that closed at EGP 100 can trade only between EGP 80 and EGP 120 the next day.
• The close. From 2:15 PM, during the pre-close session, only limit orders are accepted.

Step 5: know what each order costs

Since 29 July 2026, Egypt charges a stamp duty on trades in listed securities instead of a capital gains tax. EY's summary of the new law sets it out:

On top of this you pay your broker's commission and exchange, FRA and MCDR fees. These differ by firm, so they are on each broker's fee sheet, not here.

Worked example: one round trip of EGP 20,000

The 0.05% stamp duty is the real rate. The 0.2% for commission and other fees is an example, not a quote.

Check: 20,000 × 0.0005 = 10, and 20,000 × 0.002 = 40. One round trip costs EGP 100, or 0.5% of EGP 20,000. The share must rise 0.5% before you break even. Do that every week and costs take a big share of your money, as the worked example in our stock market basics guide shows.

Small orders can cost more in percentage terms. Some brokers charge a minimum fee per order, so check the fee sheet before buying in small amounts.

Step 6: place the order and check the result

1. Search the company by its name or EGX code, and check you picked the right one.
2. Choose buy, the number of shares, and market or limit.
3. Read the preview: total value, estimated fees and stamp duty.
4. Confirm, then check that the order shows as filled, partly filled or pending.
5. Save the trade confirmation. It is your record of price, fees and tax.

Your plan

1. Write down why you are buying and for how long, before you open any app.
2. Check two or three brokers on the FRA register using their legal names.
3. Ask each for its fee sheet and compare the cost of one EGP 10,000 round trip.
4. Read the custody agreement and note who holds your shares and how dividends are paid.
5. Start with a limit order for a small amount and see how the fill, fees and confirmation look.
6. Keep a log of every trade, with the date, price, fees and reason.
7. Prefer a fund if you only want "the market". Our funds vs single shares guide explains how.

What to watch out for

• Unlicensed "brokers" and tip groups. If a firm or page is not on the FRA register, don't send it money or your ID.
• Market orders in thin shares. You can pay far more than the last price you saw.
• Margin offers. Borrowing to buy shares multiplies losses and can force a sale at the bottom.
• Small, frequent trades. Stamp duty and fees are charged on every trade, win or lose.
• Tax rules change. The stamp duty replaced the capital gains tax in July 2026. Check the current rate before you trade.