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Medhat Hassanein

  • Position: Distinguished University Professor
  • Department: Heikal Department of Management
  • Email: [email protected]
Brief Biography

Distinguished university professor, Medhat Hassanein is a professor of finance and banking in the Department of Management of the School of Business at The American University in Cairo (AUC).

Hassanein served as the minister of finance in Egypt (1999- 2004). Hassanein was the chairman of the board of directors of Civil Aviation Finance Holding Company (CIAF Holding), 2008 - March 2017. Hassanein was a member of the board of directors and the chairman of the audit committee of the Commercial International Bank (CIB), from 2009 to 2017.

Hassanein was a board member and the chairman of the audit committee of HSBC Egypt from 2004 to 2009.

Hassanein obtained his BA in economics from Cairo University with very good honors. Hassanein holds an MBA from the Graduate School of Business (later called Stern College), New York University, with distinction, and a PhD from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, United States.

He was the senior economist of the projects department of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development in Kuwait, a regional development fund that operates according to the rules of the World Bank and serves all developing Arab countries. During his term with the fund, he participated in the financing of infrastructural, agro-industrial, industrial and agricultural projects. Thereafter, he was promoted to lead the fund's technical assistance department. 

A few years later, Hassanein joined the Arab Investment Bank in Egypt as the head of the investment sector in charge of project finance, assets management and private equity transactions of the bank.

After his service with the Arab Investment Bank, he was offered the position of president of the Egyptian Gulf Bank in Egypt, a commercial bank, where he served as the CEO of the bank in charge of all bank’s operations.

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

During his term as Minister of Finance, he developed and instituted the second- generation set of fiscal public policy reforms for the Government of Egypt. These included developing 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 enhancing the effectiveness of the public debt-management function by introducing Egypt’s debut Eurobond issue in international financial markets, the primary dealers system in Egypt and studying national debt-equity swaps.

Additionally, Hassanein supervised the transformation of Egypt sales tax to a preliminary value-added tax. The value-added tax law was ratified by the Egyptian parliament in 2002/2003. In order to successfully ensure the right application of the law, he composed a team of professionals assigned the tasks of building the VAT system with IT support and an extensive training program for the Ministry of Finance VAT Department Staff. The VAT Department is always looked at as a leading government apparatus in Egypt and the Middle East. The Model Tax and Customs Center is another activity implemented by Minister Hassanein during his term. For the first time in the history of Egypt’s tax system, this center housed in one building the three revenue-generating departments represented by leading units from each, i.e. Income Tax Authority, Sales Tax authority and Customer Authority. The purpose of this physical coexistence is to coordinate the operational systems of the three authorities in order to facilitate the investigation of taxes and customs files of taxpayers, the right calculation of the taxes due and to unify the arbitration process. This center has gained the reputation of being fair, efficient and receptive to improvement.

Hassanein has 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.

Professor Hassanein was a member of the High-Level Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, a UN organ. He was selected among commissioners to be the chairman of Group 4 (one among five groups) which is entrusted with the study of Entrepreneurship: Expanding Opportunities for Legally Establishing Business and Fostering Innovative Financial Instruments and Institutions for the Transition from Informal to Formal Business. The Commission concluded its tasks by publishing the report “Making The Law Work for Everyone”.

Professor Hassanein is a member of 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.
 

Research Interest
  • Corporate Finance
  • Enterprise Risk Management
  • Banking
  • Fiscal Policy
  • Macroeconomic Policies
  • Capital Markets and the Extra-legal Economy

Book Review

A Review of "Reviewed F. Benghezal : “Statistics for Business”. Publisher Pearson.

Book

Hull: Options, Futures and other Derivatives reviewed Hull textbook, Global Edition. The review was acknowledged by the publisher.

Articles

“Results-oriented budgeting in Egypt”,” The Journal “ Interdisciplinary Journal of Research in Business,2013-05-01, Vol. 2(Issue. 9),13- 25.

“Audit Committee Effectiveness and Corporate Performance" IRJAF,” International Research Journal of Applied Finance,2013-01-01, Vol.IV( Issue1),21.

“CEO Duality and Bank Performance. The consistent null,” Banks and Bank Systems,2012-01-01,7(1, 2012, PP 14-23).

“The Effect of Price Limits on Unconditional Volatility: The Case of CASE,” Frontiers in Economics and Finance,2007-06-01,4(1),p. 125-143.

“The Effect of Price Limits on Unconditional Volatility: The Case of CASE,” Frontiers in Economics and Finance,2007-06-01,4(1),125-143.

“Ex Post and Ex Ante Returns and Risks under Different Maturities for Treasury Bonds", Macroeconomics and Finance in Emerging Market Economies,” Social science research network,2010-03-01,3(1),103-108.

“The Effect of Price Limits on Unconditional Volatility: The Case of CASE,” Frontiers in Economics and Finance,2007-06-01,4(1),p. 125-143.

“The Effect of Price Limits on Unconditional Volatility: The Case of CASE,” Frontiers in Economics and Finance,2007-06-01,4(1),125-143.

“Ex Post and Ex Ante Returns and Risks under Different Maturities for Treasury Bonds", Macroeconomics and Finance in Emerging Market Economies,” 2010-03-01,3(1).

Research and Teaching Material

Estimated Beta - Egyptian Stock Market.

Assessment research paper entitled: How South African SMEs could escape ‘the heavyweight knockouts.

Value-Based Management "Market Value Added is the Capitalized Economic Value Added"

“Secured Loans Backed by CDs Case Study” Published by El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center, The American University in Cairo, El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center.

“Secured Loans Backed by CDs Case Study” Published by El-Khazindar Business Research and Case Center, The American University in Cairo.

Estimated Beta - Egyptian Stock Market.

Monograph

“Participated together with UNDP Regional office in Cairo in organizing a Roundtable entitled “Exploring a Regional Initiative for Legal Empowerment of the Poor”. The Roundtable was held in Cairo,” Attended by Governments officials from the MENA region, representatives of the private sector, parliamentarians, press representatives, lawyers and academicians. It was a one full-day event. The proceedings of the Roundtable will be published by UNDP, Regional Centre Cairo, Egypt. ,.

Lead speaker in the roundtable on ”The Global and Regional Challenge” of the IIF MENA Regional Economic Forum.

The Euromoney Egypt Conference “Restarting Investment, Sharing the Benefits of Growth,” held during the period 9-10 October, The Fairmont Towers Hotel, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt.

Invited by Provost Medhat Haroun of The American University in Cairo to give the fall provost’s lecture. Hassanein delivered a lecture entitled “Egypt Economy, The Pathfinders." The lecture was attended by the university faculty, students and audience from the AUC community.

“Inauguration of the Arabic Version of “Making the Law Work for Everyone" Author: UN Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor,” Dr. Hassanein was the keynote speaker introducing the Arabic Version of the report in 30 minutes presentation. The audience was 500 participants from the Arab Region, Asia, Europe and the USA and UN organizations.

“Invited by His Highness Prince Al Hassan Bin Talal to be the guest speaker of the conference organized by the UNDP in Amman Jordon on the occasion of the lunch of the Arabic version of “Making the Law Work for Everyone”. The event was preceded by a roundtable discussion on the same subject. The conference was attended by representatives of NGOs, intellectuals, news reporters, academicians, politicians, ministers and public figures from Jordon, other Arab Countries and from different parts of the world.

“Making the Law Work for Everyone”, author: UN Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor. Roundtable on how to make the law work for everyone. Organized by UNDP- MENA region office and was held in Amman Jordon, Hassanein was the lead discussant. HRH Prince Al Hasan of Jordon was the chair of the roundtable event. Attendees were a selected group of public figures, dignitaries, intellectuals and academicians. The time of the roundtable was 2.15 hours and it was conducted in English.

“His Royal Highest’ (HRH) Prince Al Hassan Ben Talal of Jordan invited Hassanein to co-chair with HRH a one day workshop to "explore a regional initiative for Legal Empowerment of the Poor.

“Participated together with UNDP regional office in Cairo in organizing a roundtable entitled “Exploring a Regional Initiative for Legal Empowerment of the Poor”. The roundtable was held in Cairo, attended by government officials from the MENA region, representatives of the private sector, parliamentarians, press representatives, lawyers and academicians. It was one full-day event. The proceedings of the roundtable will be published by UNDP, regional center Cairo, Egypt.

“Attended the World Conference on Airport Cities, Aerotropolis. This conference was an opportunity to meet leading airport cities executives, planners, developers, financiers from around the world to discuss with them their insights and experiences and innovative public and private partnership and finance mechanisms to build airport cities, Aerotropolis to increase the commercial property value of areas surrounding airports in the world. Cairo Airport Company, which is a subsidiary of the Holding Company for Airports, is planning to build an airport city around Cairo airport. Hassanein is the senior financial advisor of this mega project.

PhD 1970, the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Major: Economics.

Dissertation Title: An Econometric Model for the Egyptian Economy.

Dissertation Advisor: Professor Lawerence Klein- Nobel Prize Winner (1980).

Dissertation Examiner: Professor Edmund Phelps- Nobel Prize Winner (2006).


MBA (With Distinction)

1966, Graduate School of Business Administration (Evolved to NYU STERN School of Business), New York University.

Major: Financial Economics.

Thesis Title: An Econometric Model of Egypt, were there no central planning.
 

BCom (GPA: Very good)

1960, Faculty of Commerce, Cairo University.

Major: Economics.

Committee Chair, Chairman of the Committee of the newly introduced MSc in Finance

Committee Chair, Advisers of the Citadel Capital for Financial Services Center

Committee Chair, CSB

Committee Member, Committee of the Position of the senior manager of Finance and Administration at the School of Business

Committee Member, Excellence in Research and Creative Endeavor Award

Committee Member, Working lunch

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Advanced Social Research

Member, Editorial Board, Human Advanced Research (JIHAR)

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of “Financial Intermediation”

Member, Editorial Board, the Journal of Public and Municipal Finance (PMF) Published by Business Perspectives

Committee Member, Continuous Improvement Committee, Department of Management, School of Business, The American University in Cairo

Committee Member, Directors of Programs

Editorial Review Board Member, International Journal of Financing and Accounting Studies

Member, Editorial Board, School of Management University of Western Sydney, Australia

Board of Advisors, International Journal of Applied Business Management Perspectives

Member, Editorial Board, the Journal of Public and Municipal Finance (PMF) Published by Business Perspectives