Dr. Islam Abdel Azim Azzam has held numerous leadership positions, most notably
serving as Deputy Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) from January
2021 to August 2025, during which he oversaw the capital market, insurance, and nonbanking financial sectors.
He previously served as Advisor to the Chairman of the Mortgage Finance Authority
from 2007 to 2009, and as Assistant to the Chairman of FRA from 2003 to 2005. He
was also Managing Director of the SME Investment Fund “Bedaya,” and Advisor to
the Minister of Investment. Dr. Azzam began his career as an Economic Analyst in the
Market Surveillance Department at the FRA.
Academically, Dr. Azzam is Professor of Finance at the American University in Cairo
(AUC), where he chaired the Finance Department and the Graduate Studies Program in
Finance from 2005 to 2021. He has also served as Assistant Professor of Economics at
the Faculty of Commerce, Suez Canal University; Visiting Professor of Finance at
Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Visiting Professor of Finance at the Arab
Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport, Egypt; Visiting Assistant
Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo
University; Visiting Assistant Professor of Economics at the London School of
Economics; and Lecturer of Economics at the University of California, Irvine, USA.
Dr. Azzam served as a board member in several key institutions, including:
• Member of the Board of Trustees, Anti-Money Laundering and Counter
Terrorist Financing Unit
• Board Member and Chair of the Risk Committee, Egyptian Arab Land Bank
• Member of the Board of Trustees, Egyptian Center for Voluntary Arbitration
and Settlement of Non-Banking Financial Disputes
• Board Member, Rural Industries Support Fund
• Board Member, Financial Services Institute
He has also served on the boards of several big companies across different sectors,
including:
• Board Member, Audit Committee Member, and Investment Committee
Member, Misr Insurance Holding Company
• Board Member, Dakahlia Sugar Company
• Board Member, Egyptian Resorts Company
• Board Member, Al Shams Housing & Urbanization Company
Dr. Azzam holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Irvine, USA,
with a specialization in econometrics, economic forecasting, and monetary policy. He
also holds a Diploma in Real Estate Finance from the University of Pennsylvania, USA;
Master's in Economics from the University of California, Irvine; Master's in Economics
from the American University in Cairo; and a bachelor of Economics from the Faculty
of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University.
He has published several research papers in internationally refereed academic journals
in the fields of finance, econometrics, and monetary policy