Medhat Hassanein is Professor of Banking and Finance with the Management Department of the School of Business, Economics & Communication at the American University in Cairo. Hassanein is also former Minister of Finance, Egypt (1999-2004).

Hassanein obtained his BA in Economics from Cairo University (with Honors). He holds an MBA from New York University (with Distinction) and a PhD from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA.

Hassanein is a senior policy analyst with long experience in institutional building, macro-policy analysis, financial economics, corporate finance, and international financial management. He has previously served as advisor to government, high-level advisory bodies and the donor community.

During his term as Minister of Finance, Hassanein developed and instituted the second-generation set of fiscal public policy reforms for the Government of Egypt. These included inter alia, tax, customs reforms, reviewing the procurement system in government, revising the pensions system (pay-as-you-go versus fully-funded systems) together with the investment policy of social insurance funds, introducing public expenditure reviews and performance-based budgeting, building design and policies for the formalization of extra-legal entities, securing international and local funding packages for the appraisal and implementation of national projects, developing a program for the corporatization of public economic authorities, setting a program for the management of government cash flow-, and effectivizing the public debt-management function through introducing Egypt's debut Eurobond issue in international financial markets, the primary dealers system and national debt equity swaps.

He authored numerous articles and government reports on topical issues in economics, fiscal and monetary policy, finance and banking, macroeconomic reforms, privatization, capital markets and the extra-legal economy in Egypt.

Hassanein holds membership in many local and international professional associations. He has served as Chairman and Board Member of banks (investment, commercial and development), public holding companies and private corporations.