Local banks will begin rolling out state-backed “Meeza” debit cards in April to bank account holders, according to Al Mal. The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) is currently in the final stages of licensing the banks, with a target to roll out 2 mn cards in the coming period. The CBE is also planning to make available “Meeza” credit cards at a later stage. Top executives from the National Bank of Egypt and Banque du Caire were quoted in the press earlier this year as saying their banks already began issuing the cards.