Last month, director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Jihad Azour praised during his visit to Egypt the country’s economic and legislative reforms, stressing that these reforms are successful in terms of attracting investors despite the challenges. Business Forward sat down with Azour to know more about the role of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) in the country’s economic reform program, what needs to be done to reduce Egypt’s debt and the potential of the fintech sector in Egypt. This is the first of our two-part interview with Azour.