Economy

Central Bank of Lebanon’s Governor Proposes a Specialized Body for Bank Restructuring

Maurice Matta 28/06 15:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Banks Central Bank of Lebanon International Monetary Fund

The subcommittee of the parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, continues its review of the draft Banking Sector Restructuring Law. The discussions are centered on resolving divergences between the government's proposal, the IMF’s recommendations, and the proposals presented by Central Bank of ...

Figure of the week$4 Billion: The True Weight of Lebanon’s Agriculture Sector

Liliane Mokbel 28/06 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon agriculture economy food

As Lebanon endures a prolonged economic crisis, one figure remains widely overlooked: the country’s agriculture sector generates over $4 billion annually when including the entire value chain: transport, packaging, and agro-food processing. On its own, raw agricultural production is valued at $2.2 billion per year. Strengthening agriculture and ...

A Home for $100,000: Housing Bank Boosts Loan Cap

Christiane Tager 27/06 21:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks South Lebanon

The Housing Bank (Banque de l'Habitat, BDH) has raised the ceiling for subsidized housing loans to $100,000. No miracle here, just solid financing. “This increase from $50,000 to $100,000 was made possible by a funding package – currently under negotiation – granted by the Qatar Fund to the Housing Bank,” said BDH CEO Antoine Habib in a ...

CNSS: 45 Billion Lebanese Pounds Allocated to Hospitals

This is Beirut 27/06 17:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon CNSS Healthcare Hospitals

The National Social Security Fund (CNSS) has approved a new financial advance of 45 billion Lebanese pounds for contracted hospitals. It aims to cover fixed-rate surgical procedures. The funds will be transferred to healthcare institutions and doctors in the coming days, as part of the CNSS’s policy of maintaining regular payments. CNSS ...

Unemployment: Lebanon Ranks 11th in MENA Region

This is Beirut 27/06 17:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Kuwait Middle East Qatar Unemployment

According to the latest World Bank data, Lebanon ranks 11th among MENA (Middle East and North Africa) countries in terms of unemployment, with an estimated rate of 11.5% in 2024. This figure reflects the ongoing impact of Lebanon’s compounded economic, political, and social crises since 2019. Topping the regional chart is Palestine, with a ...

The Ministry of Finance Still Stuck in the Paper Age

Liliane Mokbel 27/06 15:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Finance Ministry Yassin Jaber Digitalization Economy

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber has announced a $6 million allocation from the Lebanon Financing Facility (LFF) to modernize tax and land registry systems and support the ministry’s ongoing reform and digital transformation efforts. Established in December 2020 under the World Bank’s guidance following the Beirut port explosion, the LFF is a ...

BIA Sees Sharp Rebound in Passenger Traffic

This is Beirut 26/06 16:05 - Reading : less than a minute

Lebanon Beirut International Airport Emirates Air France UAE

Passenger traffic at Beirut International Airport (BIA) has surged again following a brief slowdown caused by heightened regional tensions. On Wednesday alone, the airport recorded 11,203 arrivals, marking a significant uptick in travel activity that may continue in the coming days. The rebound comes as several major Arab and international ...

Bitter Fruits, Pricey Greens: Lebanon’s Food Basket Feels the Heat

Christiane Tager 26/06 11:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

War Drought Fruit Vegetables Price

Think your tomatoes are overpriced? It’s not a pricing trick. It's the harsh reality of Lebanon’s agricultural market in 2025. Amid unpredictable weather patterns, ongoing conflict, soaring fuel prices, and fertilizer costs reaching unprecedented heights, the prices of fruits and vegetables have climbed to new levels. Ibrahim Tarchichi, ...

Brief Surge Lifts Airline Stocks Amid Geopolitical Relief

Liliane Mokbel 26/06 08:10 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam United Arab Emirates Airline Stocks

European markets opened slightly higher on Wednesday, hovering between caution and relief following the announcement of a fragile truce between Israel and Iran. In early trading, Paris was up 0.17%, Frankfurt 0.20%, London 0.16%, and Milan 0.34%. The previous day, attention had shifted to the aviation sector, buoyed by hopes of easing ...

World Bank Announces Lebanon, Syria Reconstruction Projects

This is Beirut 25/06 14:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Hezbollah Middle East

The World Bank announced on Wednesday it had approved $250 million to support Lebanon's post-war reconstruction and a $146 million grant to rehabilitate neighbouring Syria's electricity sector. Lebanon is reeling from last year's devastating war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, while Syria faces massive needs after Islamist-led forces ...

Numbers & FiguresAs War Recedes, Oil Prices Plunge and Markets Rally

Christiane Tager 24/06 22:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Donald Trump Europe Tehran oil

From Cold Sweats to Cooling Oil: Why Crude Prices Are Plunging After the Iran-Israel De-Escalation A bomb can send oil prices soaring – unless it doesn’t hit as hard as expected. That’s exactly what played out in the markets following Iran’s limited strike on a United States base in Qatar, followed by a surprise ceasefire between Tehran ...

Parliamentary Committees Approve $200 Million WB Loan to Revitalize Agricultural Sector

This is Beirut 24/06 21:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Nizar Hani GATE World Bank

In a move described as a “decisive step toward economic recovery and food security,” joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday approved a bill allowing Lebanon to sign a $200 million loan agreement with the World Bank (WB) to fund the Green Agri-Food Transformation for Economic Recovery (GATE) program. Backed by the Ministry of ...