Banks

Council of Ministers Approves Draft Law on Banking Sector Restructuring

The Council of Ministers approved the draft law for reforming and restructuring the banking sector in a cabinet session headed by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, held at the Grand Serail on Saturday. The Council examined ten clauses from the draft law for banking sector reform, which includes 39 clauses in total. After the session, Minister of ...

Dollar Plunges, Stocks Wobble Over Trade War Turmoil

Investors dumped US government bonds, the dollar tumbled and stocks seesawed Friday, capping a volatile week as President Donald Trump's unpredictable tariff policy rattled market confidence. Trump triggered a massive market sell-off last week by announcing universal tariffs, and this week he sparked a huge but short-lived rally by pausing higher ...

Before Restructuring Banks, the Government Must Acknowledge the Systemic Crisis

Lebanon’s Cabinet approved on Tuesday the statement of justification for the draft law on the reorganization of banks, with a follow-up session scheduled for Friday to finalize the text. The initiative is framed by two core principles the government says it upholds: safeguarding depositors’ rights and revitalizing the banking sector so it can ...

UN Chief Says Gaza Transformed Into 'Killing Field'

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Tuesday that Gaza had become "a killing field," blaming Israel for blocking aid and failing in its "unequivocal obligations" to meet the needs of the Palestinian territory's residents. "More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza. No food. No fuel. No medicine. No ...

Council of Ministers Approves Draft Law for Bank Restructuring

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam chaired a session of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday morning, which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri and the Ministers of Finance, Yassine Jaber; Culture, Ghassan Salameh; Energy and Water, Joe Saddi; Tourism, Laura Lahoud; Social Affairs, Haneen Sayed; Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Rajji; ...

PMI Drops to Five-Month Low amid Economic Instability

Lebanon’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), published by BlomInvest on Thursday, fell sharply in March 2025 to a five-month low, signaling deteriorating business conditions. The index registered 47.6 points, a significant drop from 55.5 in February, driven by declines in production and new orders. Ali Belbol, a senior economist and the head ...

Souhaid Unveils Roadmap as Central Bank Governor

The new governor highlighted several priorities: strengthening BDL’s governance, ensuring the return of deposits, restructuring the banking sector, and remaining open to all proposals aimed at resolving the banking system crisis. “Deposits are guaranteed, and their repayment must be managed through shared responsibility between the banks, BDL ...

Europe Markets Extend Losses After Tariff Rout

European equities opened in the red on Friday, extending losses after US President Donald Trump's tariff offensive sparked a global stock market rout. Paris shed 0.9 percent to 7,533.26 points, Frankfurt fell 0.7 percent to 21,566.33 and London also dropped 0.7 percent to 8,416.32. Trump's harsher-than-expected "Liberation Day" levies sent ...

Trump's New Tariffs: A Storm Brewing in Troubled Waters

President Donald Trump's recent decision to impose historic tariffs on 185 countries and territories, announced on Thursday, has reverberated across the global economy. The repercussions of these tariffs will be felt worldwide, with Arab countries being especially impacted. Among the hardest-hit nations are Syria, Iraq, Libya, Algeria and Tunisia, ...

Judges and BDL Governor Take Oath at Baabda Palace

Three newly appointed judges and Lebanon’s new Central Bank (BDL) governor took their oaths of office on Thursday at Baabda Palace before President Joseph Aoun. Judges Judge Jamal al-Hajjar, Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassation and Vice President of the Supreme Judicial Council, was sworn in alongside Judge Youssef al-Jamil, President ...

Israel Approves New Bypass Road in Occupied West Bank

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Sunday announced the approval of a road project in the occupied West Bank that would separate traffic for Palestinians and Israelis near the Maale Adumim settlement. "The security cabinet approved last night Defense Minister Israel Katz's proposal for the construction... of a new road network ...

Kremlin: EU Refusal to Ease Russia Sanctions Shows it "Doesn't Want Peace"

The Kremlin said Friday that the EU's refusal to ease sanctions on Russia shows the bloc does not want peace in Ukraine. Moscow is demanding the West remove sanctions on Rosselkhozbank -- the Russian Agricultural Bank -- as a precondition to restoring a deal on the safe passage of Ukrainian cargo in the Black Sea. "An integral part of the Black ...