Orange Egypt has unveiled the country’s first digital gold trading platform, making it possible for customers to buy and sell gold directly through the My Orange app and Orange Cash Wallet. The launch comes in partnership with mnGm, the regional pioneer in online gold trading.

With this move, Orange is not just a telecom operator—it’s now stepping into fintech territory, positioning mobile wallets as more than just tools for recharges and bill payments. Instead, they’re becoming gateways to investment and wealth management.

Gold Investing Starts at EGP 5

Accessibility is a key selling point. Orange Egypt is letting customers start trading gold with as little as EGP 5. To sweeten the deal, users who make their first gold purchase worth EGP 500 or more this month will receive up to EGP 100 cashback, which can be used for mobile bills, bundle renewals, or recharges.

A Digital-First Gold Journey

The process is designed to be seamless: users select the mnGm offer under the Cash Offers tab in the My Orange app, register once with their wallet PIN and national ID, and confirm transactions via SMS. Payments are handled instantly through Orange Cash Wallet, making the experience both frictionless and secure.

Riding the Global Wave of Fractional Gold

Globally, fractional gold investment has been gaining momentum. Platforms like India’s Paytm Gold and Indonesia’s Tokopedia Emas have already normalized micro gold investing via e-wallets, allowing millions to treat gold like digital savings. According to the World Gold Council (2024), demand for small-scale, digitally enabled gold investments is expanding rapidly, particularly in emerging markets where gold remains a trusted store of value.

Orange Egypt’s partnership with mnGm puts it in line with this trend, creating a bridge between telecom services and everyday financial inclusion. By integrating investment into a mobile wallet, the barrier to entry is dramatically lowered, especially for first-time investors.

What This Means for Telecoms and Fintech in Egypt

Orange Egypt is effectively blurring the lines between telecoms and fintech. Rival operators like Vodafone and Etisalat have made strides in mobile money, but Orange has moved first into digital gold trading, setting a precedent.

For Egypt—a market with high mobile penetration and a strong cultural affinity for gold—this could be a game-changer. If the model scales, it might trigger competitive moves from other operators or even traditional banks looking to capture the micro-investing segment.

Ahmed El-Abd, Chief Consumer Business Officer of Orange Egypt, said

By introducing Egypt’s first digital gold trading platform, we are redefining the role of mobile wallets—from being just tools for payments and transfers, to becoming comprehensive financial platforms that empower customers to manage, grow, and diversify their resources. This step reflects Orange Egypt’s commitment to leadership and innovation in digital financial services and our role in driving Egypt’s digital economy.

The Bigger Picture

Orange Egypt’s move into digital gold trading isn’t just a local novelty—it reflects a wider trend of telecom operators morphing into fintech enablers. In markets like Kenya, M-Pesa has long been the benchmark for how mobile wallets can transform into full-fledged financial ecosystems. In India, Paytm Gold and PhonePe Gold normalized micro-investments by letting users buy fractions of gold with loose change.

What makes Orange’s step in Egypt significant is the cultural alignment with gold. In a country where gold is viewed not only as an investment but also as a hedge against inflation and currency volatility, embedding gold into a mobile wallet taps into deep-rooted consumer trust. According to the World Gold Council’s 2024 Gold Demand Trends report, retail gold investment in emerging markets is growing at double-digit rates, driven largely by digitized, low-barrier entry platforms.

By partnering with mnGm, Orange Egypt is positioning itself ahead of rivals like Vodafone Cash and Etisalat Wallet, who have yet to make similar plays. The move could reshape the competitive landscape: mobile wallets may no longer be judged only by payment convenience but also by the breadth of financial services they unlock.

If successful, Orange Egypt may not just be pioneering digital gold in the local market—it could become a blueprint for how telcos in the Middle East and Africa pivot into micro-investing and wealth management services. For now, Orange has made a bold first move, and the rest of the sector will be watching closely.