Hisham Okasha, chairperson of the National Bank of Egypt (NBE), said that the bank is currently preparing a bond issuance in international markets, which will amount to USD600mn. However, the bank has not specified an adviser, so far, and there are a number of variables that could prompt the bank to re-think this step. Amongst these variables is that the government has already floated bonds in international markets, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan to Egypt. NBE floated bonds worth USD600mn in international markets back in August 2010 with an interest rate of 5.25%, due on 5 August 2015. (The Daily News Egypt)