Egypt plans to tap international bond markets in the second quarter this year, Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said, as authorities seek to ease a foreign currency shortage. “We will decide and go to the market in the second quarter,” Ismail told reporters in Dubai on Tuesday, adding that the size of the sale hasn’t been decided. The government has said it may raise as much as USD1.5 billion. The government issued a Eurobond for the first time in five years in June, but a second intended for the fourth quarter of 2015 was delayed due to rising borrowing costs. The government also plans to settle about USD3 billion of debt owed to foreign oil companies or “at least reach a reasonable overdue” by end of this year, Ismail said. (Bloomberg)