Lebanon Registers Highest Commercial Electricity Tariffs in Arab World

This Is Beirut 01/05 17:20 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Kuwait United Arab Emirates Morocco

Lebanon now ranks among the Arab countries with the highest commercial electricity tariffs, according to recent data from the Global Petrol Prices (GPP) website, underscoring the toll of the country’s prolonged energy crisis on its struggling business sector. With a commercial electricity rate of $0.247 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2025, Lebanon ...

Marginalizing Women a Major Curb on Afghan Economy: UNDP

This is Beirut 01/05 16:35 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Donald Trump United Nations USA Afghanistan women

Restrictions on women and girls imposed since the Taliban authorities took power are projected to cost Afghanistan almost six percent of its GDP over two years, the UN development agency country director said on Thursday. Taliban authorities have squeezed women out of education, jobs and public life since 2021, creating what the United Nations ...

Syria Signs 30-Year Port Deal with Shipping Giant CMA CGM

This is Beirut 01/05 15:55 - Reading : less than a minute

Syria signed a 30-year contract with French shipping giant CMA CGM to develop and run the port of Latakia, the port's director and a company official said on Thursday. Joseph Dakak, CMA CGM's regional director, told AFP at the signing ceremony the company was «pleased today to announce the signing of an investment and management contract for the ...

GM Cuts 2025 Outlook, Projects up to $5 bn Hit From Tariffs

This is Beirut 01/05 15:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Donald Trump United States USA GM Tariffs

General Motors on Thursday lowered its 2025 earnings outlook and said it expects a $4-5 billion hit from US President Donald Trump's tariffs, despite moves this week to dampen the blow. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order to limit the impact of multiple overlapping tariffs on automakers. He also released a proclamation that gives the ...

Parliament Begins Review of the Banking Sector Bill

This is Beirut 30/04 18:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Parliament Banking sector Bill

The Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, held a session on Wednesday to begin reviewing the draft law on the reform of the banking sector, recently approved by the government. The meeting was attended by nearly 50 lawmakers, Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber and representatives from the banking ...

Numbers & FiguresOngoing Crisis in Lebanon: Economic Downturn Continues in 2024

This is Beirut 30/04 08:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Lebanon Growth GDP-Lebanon

Sharp GDP Contraction Lebanon is now in its sixth consecutive year of economic crisis, with key indicators remaining at their lowest levels, according to the World Economic Outlook (WEO) report published in April 2025 by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). GDP contraction continues, and despite a slight easing of inflation and the current ...

Syria’s Path to Recovery: Can It Outpace Lebanon?

Christiane Tager 29/04 21:40 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Syria Saudi Arabia Qatar Beirut

As the Lebanese endure rolling blackouts, relentless crises and a daily reality that often borders on the absurd, a piece of unexpected news has prompted a collective raised eyebrow – or two: Syria might well be rebuilt before Lebanon. Yes, you read that correctly. On Sunday, April 27, in a move as symbolic as it was strategic, Saudi Arabia ...

Lebanon's Labor Day: The Unaddressed Crisis of Salaries and Benefits

Liliane Mokbel 29/04 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

economy Labor Day salaries Inflation CNSS

Labor Day, celebrated on May 1, offers little cause for celebration this year in Lebanon. How can workers rejoice when they’re trapped in a cycle of triple-digit inflation—despite some studies, curiously detached from reality, suggesting otherwise? The purchasing power of their end-of-service benefits, steadily eroded since 2019, is now ...

Stock Markets Edge up as Trump Softens Tariff Pain for Auto Firms

This is Beirut 29/04 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Donald Trump Banks US Treasury Stocks markets Economy

Stock markets advanced on Tuesday following news that Donald Trump plans to spare automakers from some of his wide-ranging tariffs, boosting hopes of a less combative approach to his trade war. Signs of easing trade tensions are also spurring sentiment, as governments line up to negotiate deals with Washington to avert the full force of sweeping ...

Farewell to Wads of Cash: Lebanon Unveils Banknotes of LBP 500,000 and 1 Million

Christiane Tager 28/04 22:05 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon

After nearly six years of economic and financial turmoil, Lebanon has taken a long-anticipated step by issuing higher-denomination banknotes. Last Thursday, the Lebanese Parliament approved a draft law presented by MP Ziad Hawat, after nearly two years of legislative wrangling, granting the Banque du Liban (BDL) permission to issue notes of LBP ...

Food Importers Reassure Consumers About Price Stability

This is Beirut 28/04 15:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon dollar Hani Bohsali Food Importers' Union Imports prices

As global trade tensions between the United States and China continue to disrupt international markets, the president of the Lebanese Food Importers’ Union, Hani Bohsali, sought on Monday to reassure Lebanese consumers about the stability of food prices. In a statement, Bohsali confirmed that food import prices to Lebanon remain stable despite ...

Banks Association Calls for Balanced Restructuring Plan

This is Beirut 28/04 12:45 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

ABL Banks Central Bank of Lebanon Fadi Khalaf

Fadi Khalaf, Secretary General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), is calling for a realistic restructuring plan that balances financial reform with the protection of depositors' rights amid an unprecedented systemic crisis. In the editorial of the ABL's monthly report, titled “A Realistic Vision for Restructuring: Between Reform and ...