Osama El Shafei Appointed as Advisory Board Member for the Middle East and North Africa at INSOL International

Cairo 13 April 2025:

INSOL International – The International Association of Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Professionals, headquartered in London – has announced the appointment of a distinguished group of experts to its Advisory Board for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen professional governance and advance the business environment regionally and globally.

Among the newly appointed members, Osama El Shafei stands out as the first Egyptian expert to join this prestigious board — a milestone that reflects the growing international recognition of Egyptian professionals in the fields of restructuring, insolvency, and bankruptcy.

INSOL is recognized as one of the world’s leading organizations in these fields and plays a vital role in shaping global policy, supporting legal and financial reforms, and equipping practitioners with tools aligned with best international practices. Its impact is further highlighted by its technical and advisory partnership with the World Bank’s Global Insolvency Initiative (GII), where INSOL members contribute directly to reform programs and technical assistance efforts in numerous countries.

Osama El Shafei currently serves as a Certified Restructuring Expert in the Egyptian Economic Courts’ Expert Roster and as a Financial Restructuring Expert with INSOL International in London. He brings extensive experience across both public and private sectors, particularly in restructuring, investment, and entrepreneurship development in Egypt. His expertise spans non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs), investment banking, due diligence, mergers and acquisition transactions, and corporate valuation. El Shafei has also been appointed as a board member in several diversified companies and industries, and has served on multiple professional and advisory committees, attesting to the breadth of his expertise and the trust placed in him by key institutions.

He is also the Founder and CEO of “BELBAQY,” a pioneering digital platform – the first of its kind in Egypt, the Middle East, and Africa – that offers smart financial solutions enabling users to invest their leftover change from daily transactions through diversified financial instruments, in collaboration with asset management companies. The platform plays an active role in promoting financial inclusion and a culture of saving and investment among different segments of society.

Inspired by the global success of Acorns, a U.S.-based platform whose users have collectively invested over $25 billion through spare change, “BELBAQY” localizes and adapts this model to meet the needs of the regional market. Beyond its innovative model, BELBAQY contributes to integrating the informal economy into the formal system, reducing the financial burden on subsidy programs, and increasing national savings rates — all of which positively impact Egypt’s credit rating and economic indicators. The platform also supports bringing more liquidity under official oversight, which strengthens financial stability and enhances the effectiveness of monetary policies.

Osama El Shafei’s appointment to the INSOL Advisory Board represents a strategic opportunity to build stronger ties between international professional networks and their counterparts in Egypt and the region, fostering knowledge exchange and supporting legislative and economic reforms in the areas of insolvency and restructuring – especially as Egypt continues its rapid transformation toward a more efficient and sustainable business cl

imate.