1 Pound New Branch of Suez Canal

Issued to mark the opening of the New Suez Canal in August 2015 — a parallel channel excavated in just one year through an accelerated dredging program ordered by President el-Sisi, who framed the project as a national rebirth following years of post-revolution instability. Egypt covered the $8.5 billion construction cost entirely through domestic investment certificates, refusing foreign financing as a deliberate political statement.

The project added a 35-kilometer bypass along the northern section, reducing southbound transit waiting times from roughly 18 hours to 11.