Liliane Mokbel is an experienced journalist and editor specializing in economics, with many years of work in print media and radio. A graduate of ESCP Business School, she is also skilled in web writing and proficient in AI-assisted content creation tools, offering insightful and accessible analysis of curret economic issues.
Liliane Mokbel 23/08 23:04 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Who remains in Lebanon? Primarily the elderly. Who is emigrating? The young, but also families. The demographics of the Lebanese population are undergoing a significant shift, mainly due to the economic deadlock in which the country finds itself. Emigration is not a new phenomenon for societies, which typically experience migratory cycles limited ...
Liliane Mokbel 21/08 17:58 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The exchange rate of the banking dollar, also called the "lollar" or local dollar, will officially remain at 15,000 pounds until a new decision is made. As for the cash dollar, it is set at 89,500 pounds. This proposal was submitted by the caretaker Minister of Finance, Youssef el-Khalil, to the Council of Ministers during the meeting held last ...
Liliane Mokbel 15/08 17:29 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Air France and Transavia resumed their flights to Beirut on Thursday, after suspending them on July 29. Does this mean that Beirut International Airport (BIA) is now considered safe for civil aviation, despite ongoing hostilities in southern Lebanon? Is this an indication that reinsurance and insurance companies have revised their assessment of ...
Liliane Mokbel 13/08 13:52 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
JP Morgan experts believe that gold and silver are the most promising metals of the year, forecasting that the price of silver will soon surpass $30. While the price of an ounce of silver recently hit a high of $30, a level not seen since 2013, it still hasn't reached its historic peak of $50, recorded in 1980. Deciding between investing in gold ...
Liliane Mokbel 10/08 10:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The Qlayaat René Mouawad Airport is not intended to compete with Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. Its purpose is to address urgent needs in security, logistics, and economic development. The rehabilitation of Qlayaat René Mouawad Airport is contingent upon the approval of the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamiyeh, who ...
Liliane Mokbel 07/08 12:38 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
If the current tensions escalate into war, Lebanon will face severe turmoil. In a scenario of widespread conflict, Lebanese citizens will need to fear uncontrollable inflation more than a further devaluation of the pound against the dollar. The country would experience chaos and significant volatility in the prices of goods and services if the ...
Liliane Mokbel 05/08 16:00 - Reading : 8 minute(s)
Since 2010, Hodema, a consulting and research company specializing in the restaurant and hospitality sectors, has been investigating, analyzing, and studying the dining options in Beirut, which are divided into 11 zones. To compile the Hodema 2024 report, its experts visited 810 establishments including restaurants, cafés, bars, nightclubs, ...
Liliane Mokbel 30/07 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
According to Majd al-Masri, the president of the Syndicate of Money Changers in Lebanon, there is no actual shortage of dollar bills in the Lebanese market. He asserts that the delays in fulfilling customers' currency exchange requests are due to a logistical issue that will soon be resolved. Mr. Masri reassures that fears of a dollar shortage are ...
Liliane Mokbel 17/07 20:46 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The Ministry of Finance has directed the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) to notify its members to provide a list of their clients, individuals and entities, including names, addresses and tax registration numbers, who have repaid their debts in bank dollars or lollars. This request is based on provisions of tax procedural law and aims to ...
Liliane Mokbel 14/07 11:44 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
The retirement age for public sector employees is set to be raised to 68 for many reasons, and lawmakers are moving forward to make this happen. Two bills have been put forward to implement this change. One comes from the Democratic Gathering bloc, and the other by three MPs from the Change Coalition, namely Waddah Sadek, Michel Doueihy and Marc ...
Liliane Mokbel 07/07 17:47 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The lack of funds in EDL's account at Lebanon's Central Bank (BDL) is delaying the unloading of essential Iraqi fuel oil for the country's power plants, which is currently stored on board the tanker Sky Rider off the coast of Lebanon. Consequently, the risk of Lebanon being plunged into total darkness starting Monday is significantly increasing. ...
Liliane Mokbel 03/07 19:09 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The commission tasked with drafting proposals to amend the Monetary and Credit Code (CMC) presented its project to Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday after eleven months of rigorous effort. However, there is still a lengthy process ahead before the amendments become effective. The proposed text must first be examined by parliamentary ...
Liliane Mokbel 30/06 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Medical care costs are experiencing significant inflation. Major private insurers in the Lebanese market, contacted by This is Beirut, have indicated that their health insurance premiums will increase by about 10% starting July 1st. The decision to raise health insurance premiums comes in a market that has been declining for several ...
Liliane Mokbel 26/06 18:21 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
In a country where state institutions are almost paralyzed and the specter of war is looming, recommendations for breaking out of the stagnation in the real estate sector are nothing short of hypothetical. Panelists at the second Annual Real Estate Forum in Lebanon, that took place on Tuesday, highlighted the plethora of challenges facing the ...
Liliane Mokbel 20/06 13:24 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Is this the beginning of the end of the US dollar's hegemony in the world? This is a legitimate question, given Saudi Arabia's refusal to renew its petrodollar agreement with the United States. This half-century-old agreement has made the US dollar a powerful force in the world of finance. Signed on June 8, 1974, between the United States ...
Liliane Mokbel 15/06 18:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
A 17% tax will be applied on profits from transactions carried out by individuals and companies on Sayrafa, the exchange platform of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL). The taxable profits are those derived from operations exceeding $15,000 in 2022 and 2023. The decision by Caretaker Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil comes as part of the ...
Liliane Mokbel 13/06 19:14 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The issue of rents for residential units and commercial spaces remains unresolved. Owners and tenants are navigating between new and old leases. The interpretation of laws is causing division among legal professionals and judges alike. Owners are reluctant to rent out their real estate properties, and potential tenants are hesitant to commit to a ...
Liliane Mokbel 09/06 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Economic organisms are urging MPs to promptly discuss and approve amendments to Article 45 of the income tax law. The amendments grant companies an “exceptional” authorization to revalue their inventory and fixed assets, and to manage exchange rate differences from foreign currency receivables and accounts. They can either recognize gains or ...
Liliane Mokbel 02/06 13:19 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Card payments are no longer the only and main consumers’ option. Bank cards are steadily giving way to alternative payment methods. This is a global trend, and Lebanon is no exception; for instance, electronic wallets are gaining significant popularity. The range of options keeps growing. In the coming years, there will be less cash and fewer ...
Liliane Mokbel 26/05 10:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
In 2023, Lebanon imported 31,814 kg of gold bars, valued at $1.9 billion, compared to 16,776 kg in 2022, an increase of 89.6% year-on-year. This marked a record high for Lebanon in terms of the weight and value of gold bar imports over a decade, namely, from 2014 to 2023. According to the research and statistics bureau Information ...
Liliane Mokbel 22/05 20:18 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Since the beginning of the year, record spikes in the prices of gold, and more recently, silver, have been making headlines. The prices of both gold and silver are closely correlated, influenced by shared macroeconomic conditions and currency risk hedging strategies. 5% Profits But in the current context, the price of silver seems to be rising ...
Liliane Mokbel 09/05 08:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon is the "biggest contributor" in the issue of illegal Syrian migrants settled within its borders. Since the 2011 onset of the Syrian war, the country has shouldered a significant burden: the cost of hosting this community is estimated to be over $55 billion. Amid the multidimensional crisis that unfolded in 2019, Lebanon is buckling under ...
Liliane Mokbel 03/05 20:47 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
With porous land borders and a cash-based economy steadily growing, Lebanon undoubtedly deserves to be blacklisted by the FATF. But will it be? The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will hold its last meeting for its annual exercise in June, which starts in July each year and ends in June of the following year. Lebanon is awaiting its verdict, ...
Liliane Mokbel 02/05 11:22 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The fundamental principle of asset diversification remains unshakable despite the speculative fever surrounding a short-term surge in gold prices, with experts predicting a peak of $2,800 per ounce by the end of 2024. Lebanese investors have turned to gold since the onset of the multidimensional crisis in October 2019, even though the yellow ...
Liliane Mokbel 19/04 20:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The finance world holds its breath, awaiting the unfolding of the simmering yet sustained tensions in the Middle East region. On Friday morning, having woken up on the wrong side of bed to the news of Israeli strikes against Iran's center, investors did not immediately realize that the conflict between the two parties, for the moment, resembles a ...
Liliane Mokbel 14/04 22:08 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
To counter an unprecedented wave of strikes launched from Iran, late on Saturday evening, lasting a total of five hours, Israel reportedly shelled out nearly $1.35 billion. Waging a war requires weapons and money. The numbers speak for themselves. Brigadier General Ram Aminach, former financial advisor to the Israeli Chief of Staff, as quoted by ...
Liliane Mokbel 12/04 18:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The fate of parties engaged in old commercial leases remains uncertain, despite the State Council’s decision on April 5, 2023, to suspend Decree-Law No. 12835 concerning the government's referral of the commercial lease law to Parliament. Until the Council of State adjudicates on the substance of Decree-Law No. 12835 concerning old commercial ...
Liliane Mokbel 28/03 20:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
There's no need to look for the difference between the new and old hundred thousand-pound notes. They are one and the same. A wave of speculation about the new hundred thousand-pound bills has oddly swept through the domestic market. These new and scarce blue banknotes, which have been on the market since January, have heightened the ...
Liliane Mokbel 23/03 21:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The real estate sector is going from bad to worse. Hindered by a scarcity of bank loans and a grim outlook for the country's future, both supply and demand have been severely crippled. Agents are leaving for more promising markets abroad. This represents an endless ordeal. “Speaking real estate investments in Lebanon at this juncture is a bad ...
Liliane Mokbel 20/03 20:03 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
As long as minimum wage growth lags behind the inflation rate, salary adjustment measures remain an aberration and a futile economic absurdity. Much like a bottomless pit. Which pertinent indicator did the Price Index Committee use to support the increase in the minimum wage to LBP 18 million, while simultaneously allowing employers to decide the ...