Economy

When the IMF’s Agenda Takes Over Decision-Making, Depositors Foot the Bill
SpotlightWhen the IMF’s Agenda Takes Over Decision-Making, Depositors Foot the Bill

A cautiously tense meeting brought together Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and a delegation from the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), dedicated to discussing the points related to the Financial Gap Law. The talks focused on how the banks, the Lebanese state, and the Central Bank would handle the existing gap and on reassessing the banks’ ...

The Digital Dollar: Hezbollah’s New Financial Weapon
The Digital Dollar: Hezbollah’s New Financial Weapon

Hezbollah’s financing continues to raise serious concerns. A clash is unfolding between international law and the militia, which is using multiple strategies to protect its resources. According to several sources, the group has even turned to digital dollars, particularly Tether, to secure its financial survival. Last week, a US Treasury ...

Why Is Bitcoin Plunging?
Why Is Bitcoin Plunging?

What Has Caused the Latest Price Drop?  Prior to the recent slump, Bitcoin broke a series of record highs in the wake of Donald Trump's return to the White House. The US president came out strongly in favor of cryptocurrencies before his re-election, and has continued to do so. Bitcoin first surpassed $100,000 in May before reaching its latest ...

Google Boss Warns No Company Immune if AI Bubble Bursts
Google Boss Warns No Company Immune if AI Bubble Bursts

The head of Google's parent company, Alphabet, warned that every company would be impacted if the AI bubble were to burst, in an interview to the BBC. Sundai Pichai acknowledged there was "irrationality" behind the boom in artificial intelligence investment, which has fueled a tech rally this year. But fears that the AI bubble could burst have ...

Flydubai Orders 150 Airbus Jets, More Than Doubling Fleet
Flydubai Orders 150 Airbus Jets, More Than Doubling Fleet

Low-cost airline flydubai announced an order for 150 Airbus A321neo jets on Tuesday, more than doubling its fleet as it pursues an aggressive expansion plan. The Emirati company's first Airbus order is an "exciting step in expanding and diversifying our fleet", chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum told a press conference at the Dubai ...

Saudi Arabia-Lebanon: A Major Trade Thaw Begins
Numbers & FiguresSaudi Arabia-Lebanon: A Major Trade Thaw Begins

Signs of warning relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are becoming increasingly evident. Many see it as long overdue for Lebanon to reclaim its place within its natural sphere: the Arab world. On Monday, Prince Yazid bin Farhan, advisor to the Saudi Foreign Minister, visited Beirut with a technical delegation. The visit aimed to explore ...

Emirates Orders 65 Boeing 777X Planes in $38 BN Deal
Emirates Orders 65 Boeing 777X Planes in $38 BN Deal

Emirates ordered 65 Boeing 777X planes in a deal worth $38 billion on Monday, delivering a boost to the US manufacturer on day one of the Dubai Airshow. Deliveries are expected to start from the second quarter of 2027 under the deal, which also includes 130 GE9X engines from General Electric. "It's a long-term commitment that supports hundreds ...

In Lebanon, Power Flows… at a High Price
Figure of the weekIn Lebanon, Power Flows… at a High Price

According to World Population Review, the cost of electricity in Lebanon stands at $0.137 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). This makes the country the most expensive in the region and ranks it 74th worldwide out of 146 countries analyzed. In the region, Morocco follows with $0.121/kWh (86th), Jordan with $0.090/kWh (99th), the United Arab Emirates with ...

Money Laundering: BDL Introduces Next-Generation KYC
Money Laundering: BDL Introduces Next-Generation KYC

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
Google Proposes Adtech Changes to Avoid Breakup After EU Fine

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 ...

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

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 ...