This is Beirut - Banque du Liban

BDL Issues Circular to Regulate Foreign Transfers

This is Beirut, 01/07 18:15 - Reading : less than a minute

Banks Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon lebanon

Banque du Liban (BDL) issued Circular No. 169 on Tuesday, introducing new restrictions on the transfer of deposits abroad in a bid to promote fairness among depositors amid Lebanon’s ongoing financial crisis. Under the new directive, banks are prohibited from transferring deposits outside Lebanon without prior approval from BDL. The measure is ...

Banking Reform Heats Up as Souhaid Pushes to Clarify Commission Powers

This is Beirut, 01/07 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Banks Banque du Liban Economy

Most members of the Finance and Budget Committee’s subcommittee tasked with reviewing the draft Banking Reform Law agree on the need to protect the legislative reform process from both endless debate and political divisions, which could undermine the urgent financial restructuring Lebanon requires domestically and internationally. Participants ...

Parliamentary Committee Debates LBP 2,000 Billion Credit Allocation

This is Beirut, 24/06 20:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banque du Liban NSSF Ibrahim Kanaan lebanon Adel Nassar Finance and Budget Committee Yassine Jaber

The Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, convened on Tuesday to review a proposed supplementary credit of 2,000 billion Lebanese liras to the national budget. The session, held in the presence of Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, numerous MPs and representatives from key public institutions, ...

BDL Raises Monthly Withdrawal Limits

This is Beirut, 18/06 15:50 - Reading : less than a minute

Banks Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon Lebanon

The Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) announced on Wednesday a one-year extension of Circulars 158 and 166, initially set to expire on June 30, 2025. The decision, which comes amid a prolonged financial crisis, aims to address the pressing needs of depositors and help preserve social stability. As part of the extension, BDL also increased the monthly ...

Key Appointments at Banque du Liban Still Pending

Maurice Matta, 05/06 16:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon International Monetary Fund Banks Joseph Aoun

The terms of the four vice-governors of the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) will expire on June 11, along with those of the chairman and members of the Banking Control Commission, as well as three experts on the Capital Markets Authority. In line with Article 18 of the Code of Money and Credit, the governor of BDL is appointed by decree for a ...

ABL Calls for a 'New Phase' Based on Shared Responsibility

This is Beirut, 26/05 12:40 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

ABL Banks Banque du Liban Fadi Khalaf

In the editorial of its monthly report titled “A New Phase on the Horizon,” the Secretary-General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Fadi Khalaf, emphasized that no economic recovery plan can succeed without serious cooperation among all stakeholders. He stressed that this partnership must ensure the protection of depositors' rights ...

BDL Issues Statement on Legal Measures and Financial Transparency

This Is Beirut, 22/05 15:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banks Banque du Liban Central Bank of Lebanon Finances Parliament Lebanon

Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) announced in an official statement that it remains committed to transparency and integrity within the financial sector. It is actively pursuing legal procedures in collaboration with specialized law firms across several European countries and other international jurisdictions. This effort aims to initiate judicial ...

Interest on Lebanese Pound Deposits Drops

Liliane Mokbel, 17/05 14:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Banque du Liban

2% — that’s the average interest rate on deposits in Lebanese pounds, according to the latest figures released by the Banque du Liban for March 2025. This represents a clear decline from 2.86% in February, although it remains higher than the rate recorded a year earlier in March 2024, when it stood at just 1%. In contrast, interest rates on ...

Cautious Optimism Persists as Lebanon’s Retail Sector Remains Sluggish

This Is Beirut, 15/05 18:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Banque du Liban Gulf International Monetary Fund

The latest Retail Trade Index published by the Beirut Traders Association and Fransabank for the first quarter of 2025 is bluntly titled: “A cautiously optimistic start to the year… but commercial activity remains sluggish.” A headline that reflects a climate both promising and uncertain. The optimism stems largely from notable political ...

83 Draft Laws Submitted, Only One Passed

This Is Beirut, 15/05 12:00 - Reading : 7 minute(s)

Banque du Liban Beirut International Airport Central Bank of Lebanon Hezbollah Internal Security Forces

On Thursday, May 15, MPs gathered at Nejmeh Square for a legislative session with an exceptionally heavy agenda: 83 draft laws were submitted for review, underscoring a chronic governance crisis oscillating between institutional paralysis and reform efforts. Only one law was approved by the end of the session: an amended law criminalizing ...

BDL’s Gold Reserves Surge by 41.6% Year-on-Year

This is Beirut , 10/05 15:45 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Central Bank of Lebanon Banque du Liban Lebanon

According to its latest balance sheet, Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) reported total assets of $93.86 billion as of the end of April 2025, reflecting a modest 0.33% year-on-year increase. This comes in the wake of BDL’s adoption of a new official exchange rate of 89,500 LBP/USD on February 1, 2024. A standout figure in the report is the sharp ...

Karim Souhaid: The Banking Reform Law Undermines the Independence of the Central Bank

This is Beirut, 07/05 21:45 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

BDL Banque du Liban Lebanon Economy Parliament

Presenting a 33-page document containing substantial remarks on the banking reform bill submitted by the government, the Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Karim Souhaid, attended a session of the Parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee held mid-week. The session was chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan and attended by 40 parliamentarians, along ...