IMF officials are due to arrive in Egypt within days to start talks about possible financial aid to the troubled country.
An IMF spokesman said progress would not be disrupted by uncertainty about the future of the fund's managing director, Dominique Strauss-Kahn.
"We have a lot of missions on the ground and plan to go ahead with the mission to Egypt," said Raphael Anspach, an IMF press officer. "The team will be arriving in Cairo in the next few days and will begin discussions on arrangements with the authorities."
Egypt is turning to the IMF as its financial position worsens. Officials are seeking support from the IMF, World Bank and others as they attempt to plug a funding shortfall of between US$10 billion (Dh36.7bn) and $12bn through to June next year.
"The need for IMF support is not driven by a requirement for external liquidity," said Raza Agha, a Middle East economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland. "Instead, it is an attempt to signal to investors that a credible macro-economic plan could be put in place."
Foreign investment had dropped to zero, levels of poverty were rising and foreign reserves had dwindled from $36bn to $28bn since January, said Mahmoud Nasr, the general in charge of financial affairs for the Egyptian army, which is helping lead an interim government. Rising demand for higher wages and increased subsidies is heaping pressure on the country's strained finances at a time when growth prospects have been sharply lowered.
The involvement of the IMF could help reduce the cost of borrowing for the country, said Mr Agha. Yields on treasury bills, an important revenue source, widened as much as 200 basis points between the end of January and mid-March as risk perceptions jumped during the revolution.
The IMF is keen for any funding it provides to be tied to a policy agenda set out by the Egyptian government to rebalance the economy.
Although the size of any IMF funding is still unknown, Samir Radwan, the finance minister, has been quoted as saying Egypt was seeking a $2.2bn loan from the World Bank. It is also hoping for support from Gulf states. Any decision on financing by the IMF is not expected for several weeks.
