Liliane Mokbel 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute
This is the striking number of new restaurant brands registered with the Lebanese Ministry of Economy since the start of 2025. It’s a spectacular surge, but one that is less reassuring than it appears in a country with a limited population and modest tourist inflow. Behind this explosion of concepts lies a clear reality: most of these projects ...
This is Beirut 12/12 17:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon’s Finance Minister Yassine Jaber sparked widespread controversy by backing International Monetary Fund conditions, saying “the biggest losers of the reform would be the state and the banks.” Depositors dispute his claim, saying ordinary citizens who lost access to their savings are the real victims. According to the ...
This is Beirut 08/12 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Paramount Netflix Warner Bros.
Paramount launched an all-cash tender offer Monday to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery for $30 per share, challenging a previously announced deal between WBD and Netflix. The hostile offer sets up a furious battle between Paramount, whose owner Larry Ellison is an ally of Donald Trump, and streaming behemoth Netflix to buy one of Hollywood's most ...
This is Beirut 08/12 13:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Banks Lebanon ABL Central Bank of Lebanon
The Secretary-General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Dr. Fadi Khalaf, has cautioned that any financial restructuring confined to the banking sector is likely to fail unless accompanied by comprehensive state reform. In his editorial for the ABL’s November report, published Monday, Khalaf emphasized that Lebanon’s ...
Liliane Mokbel 06/12 13:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Today, 335 telecom sites in Lebanon run on solar energy, offering a lifeline to a network long weakened by power cuts. Switching to clean energy reduces reliance on diesel generators, cuts costs, and most importantly, ensures a more stable Internet for everyone. This transformation was made possible thanks to a donation from China, according to ...
This is Beirut 03/12 15:15 - Reading : less than a minute
Lebanon Ibrahim Kanaan Budget 2025 Finance and Budget Committee
Following a Finance and Budget Committee meeting on Wednesday, its chairman, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, issued sharp warnings over the state’s continued failure to produce audited financial accounts, describing this as a “clear constitutional violation” of Article 87. Kanaan stressed that Lebanese citizens are required to submit their accounts for ...
Liliane Mokbel 27/11 15:10 - Reading : less than a minute
The State must acknowledge its main share of responsibility in the crisis. Yet nothing suggests it is ready to do so. The political class opposes it, and the plan supported by the IMF also seeks to absolve those responsible at the expense of depositors.
Hala Abdallah 26/11 09:30 - Reading : less than a minute
As Lebanon prepares for Pope Leo XIV, businesses are hopeful and hotels are offering discounts, but security fears continue to shape expectations.
This is Beirut 25/11 11:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Lebanon Economy Banks Nawaf Salam
This Is Beirut has learned that the legal committee tasked by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam—in coordination with Finance Minister Yassine Jaber—with drafting the financial gap law is composed of a three-member team operating within the orbit of the Kulluna Irada organization. The committee includes attorney Ali Zbib, Judge Rana Al-Akkoum, ...
Salam El Zaatari 22/11 15:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Lebanon Economy Cash Hezbollah
Lebanon finds itself in a paradox. While its broader economy is collapsing, the food-and-beverage (F&B) sector is showing surprising vitality. It may look like a feel-good tale of resilience, but in fact it reveals one of the greatest structural threats to Lebanon’s recovery: a cash-based economy that undermines transparency, fuels illicit ...
Liliane Mokbel 22/11 14:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
The Civil Service Council has proposed an unprecedented plan: cutting 5,600 positions from the 28,000 currently in the public administration. This 20 percent reduction is described as essential to modernize a state apparatus that has become heavy, costly, and ill-suited to current needs. Most of the positions targeted are already vacant or ...
This is Beirut 21/11 12:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Banks New York USA Tech AI Bubble
Tech firms led stock losses on Friday as investors struggled to shake off fears about an AI bubble, and after a sell-off on Wall Street sparked by job data dealt a further blow to hopes for a US interest rate cut. A blockbuster earnings report from chip bellwether Nvidia on Wednesday seemed to settle nerves that vast investments in the artificial ...