Money Laundering: BDL Introduces Next-Generation KYC

Liliane Mokbel 14/11 18:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon Lebanon Hezbollah US Treasury economy money laundering

On November 14, 2025, BDL issued Decision No. 13769, Circular No. 3, introducing a new “Know Your Customer” (KYC) form for all cash, foreign exchange, and money transfer transactions of $1,000 or more, and their equivalent. The measure applies to all non-banking financial institutions under BDL’s supervision, including financial companies, ...

Google Proposes Adtech Changes to Avoid Breakup After EU Fine

This is Beirut 14/11 09:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

European Union USA Google Fine Advertising

Google on Friday announced changes to its advertising services to avert the risk of a breakup, two months after Brussels hit the US giant with a massive fine. The European Commission slapped a 2.95-billion-euro ($3.43 billion) antitrust fine on Google for favoring its own services in September, giving the company 60 days to resolve the issues ...

FocusFarah: The State Bears Full Responsibility for the Misuse of Public Funds

This is Beirut 12/11 20:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon BDL Banks Economy

Lebanese economist and columnist Antoine Farah told Huna Lubnan that the Lebanese state bears full responsibility for the misuse of public funds both before and after the financial crisis, noting that what was once unclear prior to the 2019 collapse has now become indisputable. Farah argued that the state, working hand-in-hand with the ...

World Wine Output Set for Modest 2025 Recovery: Industry Body

This is Beirut 12/11 11:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

World Wine Production

Global wine production is on course for a modest recovery in 2025 after suffering a sharp downturn last year, the industry's international body said Wednesday. Output will, however, continue below recent averages as climate change and changing consumer habits take their toll, the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) said in a ...

Demon Slayer Surge Powers Sony’s Strong Profit Outlook

This is Beirut 11/11 13:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Demon Slayer Tokyo Culture Cinema Art

Shares in Japanese giant Sony jumped more than five percent Tuesday after it hiked full-year profit forecasts thanks to the latest Demon Slayer anime blockbuster. The company also attributed the improved forecasts to higher expected sales of its PlayStation console and a smaller-than-anticipated impact from US tariffs. For the 2025-26 financial ...

Hakim Calls for Urgent Reforms to Restore Trust and Protect Depositors

This is Beirut 11/11 10:40 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks International Monetary Fund Alain Hakim

Lebanon’s financial and economic situation is going through an unprecedented crisis “that requires decisive measures to restore confidence and protect depositors’ funds, while clarifying the responsibilities of the State.” These are the words of Alain Hakim, former Minister of Economy, summarizing the depth of the country’s economic ...

FocusSebastian Gorka’s Visit and Lebanon’s Financial Crossroads

This is Beirut 10/11 19:35 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon BDL Banks Economy IMF

The Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka’s visit to Lebanon over the past two days has added an unexpected but timely dimension to the country’s search for economic and political stability. His meetings with local officials and policy advisors reportedly centered on policies to cut off ...

ReportLebanon’s Dry Season: Agriculture at Risk, but Hope Remains

Élie-Joe Kamel 10/11 19:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Europe South Lebanon Turkey agriculture

Lebanon is facing an unusually dry year, with autumn bringing far less rainfall than normal. According to the Minister of Energy and Water, precipitation is down about 51 percent compared with the average. The winter of 2024-2025 had already been exceptionally dry, with Beirut recording just 382 mm, compared with 1,051 mm the previous year. The ...

SpotlightCutting Off Hezbollah’s Iranian Lifeline

Liliane Mokbel 10/11 16:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hezbollah Beirut International Airport Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon Gulf

The time has come to deprive Hezbollah of its footing and halt its systematic effort to dismantle what remains of the Lebanese state. John Hurley, the Under Secretary of the U.S. Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated last week that there is now a favorable opening in Lebanon to disrupt Iranian funding to Hezbollah and exert ...

The Association of Banks in Lebanon Warn of “Systemic Crisis”

This is Beirut 10/11 14:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon ABL Banks

The economic collapse is systemic and cannot be resolved without the state assuming its share of responsibility, the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) warned in its latest monthly report for October 2025. The statement directly challenges the government’s draft “financial gap” law, which omits any reference to a systemic crisis, a move ...

The AI Revolution Has a Power Problem

This is Beirut 10/11 09:20 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Google Microsoft Amazon AI Meta

In the race for AI dominance, American tech giants have the money and the chips, but their ambitions have hit a new obstacle: electric power. "The biggest issue we are now having is not a compute glut, but it's the power and...the ability to get the builds done fast enough close to power," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella acknowledged on a recent ...

Figure of the weekPension Reform Stalled: 13 Decrees Blocking Lebanon’s Social Protection Law

Liliane Mokbel 08/11 14:00 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Thirteen. That is the number of implementing decrees still pending to activate the pension and social protection law passed in 2023. Without them, the long-awaited reform remains on hold. The new system was meant to gradually replace the decades-old end-of-service indemnity scheme. So far, only one decree has been partially addressed, the one ...