Egypt’s state-owned debit card system takes a step forward: Banks partnering with African payments service provider Network International “are now fully integrated and certified to process transactions from the new Egyptian national payments scheme Meeza,” Network International said in a statement (pdf) yesterday. Meeza is the national debit card the central bank is rolling out by year’s end as part of its push on financial inclusion and a cashless society. A CBE official said last month that pensioners would be among the first to access state benefits through the cards, which would also be used to electronically deliver payments to civil servants and subsidy recipients.