This is Beirut

ABL Secretary General Warns Against Risks of Unrealistic Implementation of the Gap Law

This is Beirut, 29/01 13:15 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

ABL Banks Banque du Liban Lebanon Central Bank of Lebanon

The Secretary General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Fadi Khalaf, warned against the risks of an unrealistic implementation of the Gap Law in the introduction of the ABL’s January 2026 monthly report. According to Khalaf, this draft law, which aims to unlock the issue of bank deposits, can only succeed if the liquidity required ...

WB Approves $350 Million to Support Lebanon’s Recovery and Digital Transformation

This is Beirut, 27/01 15:40 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Middle East World Bank

On Monday, the World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $350 million in new financing to help Lebanon address the basic needs of its poorest and most vulnerable populations while advancing the digital transformation of public services. The funding, split between two projects, aims to provide social protection, promote economic ...

Salam Says Lebanon to Expand State Control as International Confidence Grows

This is Beirut, 23/01 17:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam Lebanon Banks Hezbollah International Monetary Fund

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday that Lebanon has full operational control over southern Lebanon and will expand operations north of the Litani river as international engagement with Lebanon increases. Salam outlined a two-part policy driving the Lebanese state’s governance goals: institutional and ...

Hamas to Hold Leadership Elections in Coming Months: Sources

This is Beirut, 13/01 09:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Hamas Banks Fatah Israel Kuwait

Hamas is preparing to hold internal elections to rebuild its leadership following Israel's killing of several of the group's top figures during the war in Gaza, sources in the movement said on Monday. "Internal preparations are still ongoing in order to hold the elections at the appropriate time in areas where conditions on the ...

Iran President Tells Government Listen to Protesters 'Legitimate Demands'

This is Beirut, 2025-12-30 10:45 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Banks Israel Tehran United Nations USA

Iran's president urged his government to listen to the "legitimate demands" of protesters, state media reported Tuesday, after demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardship. Shopkeepers in the capital shut their stores on Monday, after Iran's embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market. Photos from ...

After the Vote: Exposing the Gap Law’s Broken Promises

Claudia Groeling, 2025-12-29 19:30 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Lebanon Banque du Liban Gap Law Banks

Lebanon’s cabinet on December 19 approved one of the most controversial pieces of legislation since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, adopting the so-called “Gap Law” in a narrow vote that has reignited public anger and raised serious concerns among economists, legal experts, and international observers. Backed by 13 ministers ...

Two Killed in Terror Attack in Northern Israel

This is Beirut, 2025-12-26 14:35 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Banks Israel West Bank

A car-ramming and stabbing attack by a Palestinian man left two people dead in northern Israel on Friday, police said. The assailant killed a 68-year-old pedestrian in a hit-and-run and fatally stabbed a 19-year-old woman near a bus stop. The assailant was shot and injured by a civilian passerby while fleeing towards Afula. He was taken to a ...

Syria to Start Replacing Currency from Jan 1: Central Bank Chief

This is Beirut, 2025-12-25 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Damascus United States Syria Currency

Syria's central bank chief said Thursday that the country's currency would start to be replaced with a revamped version from January 1, as Damascus tries to relaunch its economy after emerging from the rule of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad last year. Improving the standing of the Syrian pound is among the greatest challenges for Syria's new ...

Geagea: LF Ministers to Reject Financial Regularization Law

This is Beirut, 2025-12-23 13:55 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea Banks Central Bank of Lebanon

Chief of the Lebanese Forces (LF) party, Samir Geagea, confirmed on Tuesday that LF ministers will vote against the Financial Regularization Law in the Council of Ministers, citing its failure to return depositors’ funds. In his remarks at the Graduates’ Body dinner at the party headquarters in Maarab, Geagea said, “the criterion is simple: ...

IMF Reservations Fuel Dispute Over Financial Gap Law

This is Beirut, 2025-12-23 13:05 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

International Monetary Fund Lebanon Banks Central Bank of Lebanon Hezbollah

Nidaa al-Watan reported Tuesday that controversy persists over the leaked draft Financial Gap Law, amid claims that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is dissatisfied and has raised reservations. While the draft is expected to be circulated to ministers ahead of a possible Cabinet vote, political and diplomatic circles cited by the newspaper ...

Lebanon’s Cabinet Divided Over Controversial Financial Gap Law

This is Beirut, 2025-12-22 20:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Lebanon Nawaf Salam International Monetary Fund Banks Central Bank of Lebanon Gap Law

The controversial financial Gap Law presented as key to resolving Lebanon’s enduring banking crisis that deprived depositors of their savings, topped discussions at Monday’s cabinet meeting, exposing differences among ministers. The session, attended by Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid, was adjourned and will resume Tuesday to ...

The IMF Sets an Example Through Lebanese Depositors: Unpacking One the Most Dangerous Laws in the Country’s History

This is Beirut, 2025-12-21 15:40 - Reading : 6 minute(s)

Lebanon Banque du Liban International Monetary Fund economy banking system banks

What the government presented as the ‘Financial Gap Law’ is not merely a piece of financial legislation; it is a text that lays the foundations for the post-adoption economic order. It does not conceal its objective but states it calmly: ending a crisis that has lasted for years instead of resolving it, writing off deposits instead of ...

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