Economy

Payment Deadlines for Certain Taxes Extended
Payment Deadlines for Certain Taxes Extended

Caretaker Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil announced on Tuesday a decision to extend payment deadlines for certain taxes to spare taxpayers from incurring late payment fines. The deadline for filing the annual income tax return, salaries and wages (R5), individual annual statements (R6), and the annual global statement (R7) for the years 2022 ...

Electricity Company Serves Last Warning for Payment to Public Sector
Electricity Company Serves Last Warning for Payment to Public Sector

Lebanon’s electricity company, Électricité du Liban (EDL) reiterated its warning to public administrations, public institutions, water boards and individuals operating on behalf of the public sector, in the various regions of Lebanon, to pay their electricity bills (old and new), in cash (Lebanese pounds), by February 29. The public ...

Chaotic Exchange Rate: Will the MOF Transition to 25,000 LBP?
Chaotic Exchange Rate: Will the MOF Transition to 25,000 LBP?

A recent decision of the State Council was accepted following a review by the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), which nullified the government's directive in the financial recovery plan to cancel the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) obligations in foreign currencies to banks. This decision dealt a significant blow to caretaker Prime Minister ...

MOF Gives Clarifications About World Bank Loan
MOF Gives Clarifications About World Bank Loan

After Lebanon received a $34 million loan from the World Bank to restore the budgetary management of public services, several rumors started circulating on Monday, claiming that this amount would be distributed to 500 employees of the Ministry of Finance, a piece of information the said Ministry's press office rushed to deny. "In view of the ...

Fayad Discusses Gas Supply With Egyptian Officials
Fayad Discusses Gas Supply With Egyptian Officials

Caretaker Energy and Water Minister Walid Fayad held several meetings on the sidelines of the Seventh Egypt International Energy Conference and Exhibition (EGYPS 2024), which runs until February 21 in Cairo, notably with Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek el-Molla, Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Egyptian ...

Mansouri: Deposits' Restitution Won't Happen Overnight
Mansouri: Deposits' Restitution Won't Happen Overnight

Acting Governor of Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) Wassim Mansouri commented on the subject of deposit restitution during his visit to London, saying that it is necessary to accept the fact that this "will not happen overnight, but that there are mechanisms in place to return them." He pointed out that "confidence in the banks will not be rebuilt ...

Bank Assets Fell by 31.83% Year-on-Year as of December
Bank Assets Fell by 31.83% Year-on-Year as of December

A 31.83% surge brought bank assets to $115.25 billion in December 2023, following the Central Bank du Liban (BDL)'s adoption of a new exchange rate of 15,000 Lebanese pounds per US dollar. As for the assets, currency and deposits held with the Central Bank represented a significant 72.99% of the total, witnessing a yearly decline of 23.4% to ...

Lebanese Entrepreneurs Scrutinize the Budget
Lebanese Entrepreneurs Scrutinize the Budget

The board of directors of the 'Mouvement international des chefs d'entreprises libanais', or the international movement of Lebanese heads of enterprises (MIDEL), under the chairmanship of Fouad Zmokhol, discussed the 2024 budget, recently approved by Parliament, and its application to private sector companies. Participants pointed out that "taxes ...

40% Drop in Agricultural Exports
40% Drop in Agricultural Exports

"Agricultural exports are down 40% compared to the same period last year due to the shipping crisis in the Red Sea,” according to Mounir El-Tini, Vice President of the Zahleh and Bekaa Chamber of Commerce. He pointed out that citrus fruits are the hardest hit, in addition to the leftovers from the apple and potato seasons. He also pointed out ...

When and How Will Deposits Be Recovered?
When and How Will Deposits Be Recovered?

The Council of State's decision to invalidate the article related to the suppression of a significant portion of the state's foreign currency commitments to the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), as outlined in the government's economic recovery plan dated 20/5/2022, brings some relief to depositors and bankers. However, questions concerning the ...

Mikati: Depositors’ Funds Have Evaporated
Mikati: Depositors’ Funds Have Evaporated

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati acknowledged for the first time that "depositors' funds have evaporated" and that "the state is 100% responsible for (evaporated) bank deposits." During a meeting with economic journalists, reported by An-Nahar’s Sabine Oueiss, Mikati emphasized that the state's responsibility regarding these deposits "is ...

Monoprix Returns to Lebanon
Monoprix Returns to Lebanon

The chain Monoprix is back in Beirut. Gray Mackenzie Retail Group announced on Friday that it had "officially signed a franchise agreement with the French retail chain Monoprix, based on the management of the company's operations in Lebanon and its expansion through the opening of new stores, as part of the strengthening of strategic partnerships ...