All eyes on the IMF: The nation’s talking heads were all about IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva’s statements on our loan program. New rules from the Central Bank of Egypt and the situation in Gaza also received some airtime.

“Georgieva’s statements confirm that the new agreement with the IMF will be reached within a few weeks and that the Fund will encourage other partners — the World Bank and Gulf states — to also provide Egypt with urgent support,” Kelma Akhira’s Lamees El Hadidi said (watch, runtime: 3:23). “They also confirm that there is an upcoming devaluation of the EGP. The size of the devaluation will be left to the central bank and the state to decide,” she continued.

Georgieva's comments got a lot of attention last night: Al Hayat Al Youm (watch, runtime:1:50), Alaa Masouleety (watch, runtime: 7:18), and El Hekaya (watch, runtime: 13:29) all had the news. We have the full story in the news well, above.

AND- On the CBE’s latest rules to clamp down on credit card misuse: The central bank has issued new directives requiring credit card holders to provide proof that they have traveled abroad within 90 days of their bank lifting their FX spending limit or else will have their card suspended. They will also be barred from issuing new credit cards and or having their FX spending limits lifted again. This move and the new central bank directives issued every couple of weeks “raise concerns in the market and confirm the scarcity of foreign exchange,” El Hadidi said (watch, runtime: 1:50).

ALSO- Rafah still on the airwaves: “Israel continues to vigorously provoke the Egyptian side,” Amr Adib said on El Hekaya, describing the matter as “incomprehensible” (watch, runtime: 24:11). "There is an Israeli insistence on expanding the scope of the conflict in the region,” he added. Meanwhile, El Hadidi pointed the finger at the US, calling it “the official sponsor of expanding the conflict in the region” (watch, runtime: 5:32).

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