First Gulf Bank (FGB ) released a statement on Wednesday denying reports that it had made a bid to purchase Barclays assets in Egypt. In the release, the bank said it “has not engaged in any discussions regarding any possible bid to purchase these assets.” Earlier this month, Barclays Egypt , a subsidiary of UK-based Barclays, announced its plans to sell its assets in Egypt in order to focus on the bank’s core operations in the UK and the US. Barclays has 56 branches and serves around 127,000 customers in Egypt, according to the bank’s website. (Company disclosure, Reuters)