Economy

EDL Crisis: No Power Without a Regulatory Authority
HighlightEDL Crisis: No Power Without a Regulatory Authority

Power plant maintenance is resuming, the local fuel market is well supplied, and electricity rationing is beginning to ease gradually. These improvements raise the prospect of an average electricity supply of twelve hours per day. Yet, without activating the Regulatory Authority – mandated by law for more than twenty years – the resolution of ...

Lebanon’s Real Estate Market: Tentative Signs of Recovery Amid Persistent Challenges
Lebanon’s Real Estate Market: Tentative Signs of Recovery Amid Persistent Challenges

The “political stabilization” that followed Aoun’s election in January delivered an immediate boost to Lebanon’s real estate market. “All the buyers who had been hesitant for years rushed in during the first quarter,” says Karl Kanaan, Sales Director at S. Gestion, speaking to This is Beirut. As a result, “A significant number of ...

Energy Crisis: Lebanon Between Regional Opportunities and Internal Blockages
HighlightEnergy Crisis: Lebanon Between Regional Opportunities and Internal Blockages

Arab support for the revival of Lebanon’s energy sector is back in the spotlight. On the sidelines of the Arab Summit in Amman, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reopened this crucial file with his Jordanian counterpart. Shortly after, Lebanese Finance Minister Yassine Jaber and Energy and Water Minister Joe Saddi discussed the main points of energy ...

IMF: Three Billion to Bury 85 Billion? No, Thank You.
EditorialIMF: Three Billion to Bury 85 Billion? No, Thank You.

The International Monetary Fund wants to lend $3 billion to Lebanon. On paper, it’s an "opportunity" to get a devastated country back on its feet. In reality, it’s a cruel joke. Lebanon is staring into an $85 billion abyss - a gaping hole dug by decades of mismanagement, clientelism, and public governance as cynical as it is incompetent. In ...

Lebanon and World Bank Prepare Launch of Reconstruction Fund
Lebanon and World Bank Prepare Launch of Reconstruction Fund

In a bid to accelerate Lebanon’s post-war recovery, Finance Minister Yassine Jaber met with Jean-Christophe Carret, the World Bank’s Regional Director, on Wednesday to discuss the imminent launch of the Lebanon Emergency Assistance Project (LEAP), a reconstruction initiative designed to channel international aid into rebuilding efforts through ...

OPEC+ meets as oil output hike looms
OPEC+ meets as oil output hike looms

Ministers of the OPEC+ oil alliance, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, discussed production on Wednesday as another hike looms despite falling prices. The 22-nation group began a series of cuts in 2022 to prop up crude prices, but Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other members surprised markets recently by sharply raising output for May and June. The ...

Al-Qard al-Hassan: The Bank that Dodges Bombs but Not Audits
Al-Qard al-Hassan: The Bank that Dodges Bombs but Not Audits

Al-Qard al-Hassan, a financial institution linked to Hezbollah and operating through 34 branches in areas controlled by the militia, has recently drawn attention for its role in the group’s financial operations. The Israeli think tank Alma Research and Education Center, which focuses on security issues in northern Israel, has provided ...

‘Tripoli, Yes We Can:’ How Diaspora and Reform Fuel Economic Revival
‘Tripoli, Yes We Can:’ How Diaspora and Reform Fuel Economic Revival

Under the patronage of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, the third edition of the “Tripoli, Yes We Can” conference took place at the Beirut Arab University Tripoli campus on Monday. Bringing together political decision-makers and Lebanese diaspora representatives, the event aimed to map out a bold vision for national economic recovery – extending ...

When Lebanon’s Apple Loses Its Crunch
When Lebanon’s Apple Loses Its Crunch

In Lebanon, the apple is a cornerstone of both culture and agriculture. It fills market stalls, embodies the freshness of the mountain regions, and represents a significant share of local farming. But beneath its smooth skin, a quiet crisis is unfolding: apple scab. “Or more precisely, Venturia inaequalis – a fungus with little that’s ...

Jaber: $150 Million Loan to Modernize Lebanon’s Administration
Jaber: $150 Million Loan to Modernize Lebanon’s Administration

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber announced on Tuesday that Lebanon is in advanced talks with the World Bank for a $150 million loan aimed at modernizing the country’s public administration. The loan would fund a comprehensive digital transformation across ministries and state institutions, improving service delivery, increasing transparency and ...

EDL: At the Heart of Lebanon’s Energy Crisis
HighlightEDL: At the Heart of Lebanon’s Energy Crisis

Electricity rationing is the rule, contrary to all logic in a nation-state framework. A quarter of a century after the end of the Civil War, the Lebanese remain dependent on alternative means of energy supply – mostly at the mercy of the neighborhood private generator supplier. Électricité du Liban (EDL) will long remain in Lebanon’s history ...

ABL Calls for a 'New Phase' Based on Shared Responsibility
ABL Calls for a 'New Phase' Based on Shared Responsibility

In the editorial of its monthly report titled “A New Phase on the Horizon,” the Secretary-General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Fadi Khalaf, emphasized that no economic recovery plan can succeed without serious cooperation among all stakeholders. He stressed that this partnership must ensure the protection of depositors' rights ...