Central Bank of Lebanon

Government Plan for Bank Resolution Put on Hold?

On Tuesday, the administrative court ruled on the dispute between the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) and the State. The Council of State invalidated the government's plan to abolish bank reserves at the Banque du Liban (BDL). A major blow, which calls into question the validity of the banking resolution proposed by the government. On ...

The State Council Delivers a Heavy Blow to Mikati’s Plan!

In its final "constitutional" session before transitioning into a caretaker government, on May 20, 2022, Najib Mikati’s Cabinet endorsed a plan for financial and economic recovery. It included a document titled "Strategy for Financial Sector Revitalization," which, in its third clause, outlined the cancelation of a significant portion of the ...

State Council Prevents Government From Seizing Depositors' Funds

On Tuesday, the State Council overturned a government decision, part of its “recovery strategy,” which would have destroyed the banking sector and deprived depositors of their funds. The State Council annulled on Tuesday a decision taken by the Council of Ministers in May 2022 as part of its financial recovery strategy. This decision would ...

The Central Bank and Circular 166

The Central Bank's (BDL) first deputy governor Wassim Mansouri issued on Saturday Circular 166 on exceptional measures for the gradual repayment of bank deposits made in foreign currency after the date of 10/31/2019. Mansouri specified that Circular 166 was adopted after he had obtained the opinion of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), ...

Banque du Liban: Circular 151 Amended

The acting governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), Wassim Mansouri, communicated on Saturday the amendments made to Circular 151 through a new circular, Circular 166. Following Friday's meeting of the BDL Central Council, Mansouri announced two decisions concerning the repayment of foreign currency deposits and the conversion of foreign ...

Fuel Crisis: Deliveries Set to Resume in the Next Hours

Twenty-four hours after the Association of Oil Importing Companies declared the suspension of fuel deliveries in protest against the 10% exceptional tax levied on businesses benefiting from the subsidy policy introduced by the state in 2020 and 2021, a solution seems to be looming on the horizon. The president of the association, Maroun Chammas, ...

Circular 151: New Directives to Be Issued Friday

Wassim Mansouri, the Central Bank's (BDL) Acting Governor, will set off to Riyadh on Monday upon a special invitation to participate in a conference on regional financial stability. But before he leaves, he is scheduled to finalize, on Friday, the details of a new directive with BDL’s Central Council. This directive allows depositors who were ...

Who Exploited the Dollars Allocated for Subsidized Products?

The destiny of the Finance Law remains uncertain. Every budgetary article voted by Parliament is subject to invalidation appeal before the Constitutional Council once the text is promulgated and published in the Official Gazette. Before the final version of the 2024 budget was released, an outcry erupted over an article that was introduced during ...

But What Happened to the Bank Dollar?

The issue of the bank dollar exchange rate remains unresolved. Parliament withdrew from this task during the review of the 2024 Budget, while the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) is taking its time to decide on the matter. The acting governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, Wassim Mansouri, is expected to arrive in Beirut from Paris on Tuesday ...

Mansouri Sets Fixed Dollar Rate at LBP 89,500

Lawmakers deflect responsibility by shifting the decision on the dollar exchange rate to the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), a move criticized by economic experts as an evasion of addressing pressing financial issues, notably the plight of depositors. This reflects a persisting corrupt climate apparent in various numbers reported by the Central ...

Mansouri Clashes with the Association of Banks on Circular 151

Acting Governor of the Central Bank, Wassim Mansouri, has agreed with the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) to discuss the replacement of Circular 151. This would enable beneficiaries to receive a monthly cash payment of $150. Yet, based on the information available from Tuesday's meeting at Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL), perspectives between ...

New Measures for Account Holders in Lebanese Pounds

The statements of Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, made on the sidelines of the Davos forum, about the impeding recovery of bank deposits have keyed up the online community, triggered various interpretations, and stirred up confusion among the public. Caretaker PM Najib Mikati announced from Davos that "a clear program detailing how ...