Central Bank of Lebanon

83 Draft Laws Submitted, Only One Passed

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 ...

Souhaid Attends Finance Committee Meeting on Bank Restructuring Law

Central Bank Governor Karim Souhaid took part in a session of the subcommittee of the parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee on Wednesday, where deliberations centered on the government’s proposed bank restructuring law. The meeting was held in the presence of Committee Chairman MP Ibrahim Kanaan, Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber and other ...

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

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 ...

Farewell to Wads of Cash: Lebanon Unveils Banknotes of LBP 500,000 and 1 Million

After nearly six years of economic and financial turmoil, Lebanon has taken a long-anticipated step by issuing higher-denomination banknotes. Last Thursday, the Lebanese Parliament approved a draft law presented by MP Ziad Hawat, after nearly two years of legislative wrangling, granting the Banque du Liban (BDL) permission to issue notes of LBP ...

Banks Association Calls for Balanced Restructuring Plan

Fadi Khalaf, Secretary General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), is calling for a realistic restructuring plan that balances financial reform with the protection of depositors' rights amid an unprecedented systemic crisis. In the editorial of the ABL's monthly report, titled “A Realistic Vision for Restructuring: Between Reform and ...

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 ...

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 ...

These Banknotes Aren’t So Green After All

The local market is flooded with US dollar bills of all denominations – $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 – showing various signs of wear: stained, damaged, torn, creased, faded, and sometimes even patched with tape. But are these bills still valid? In a country where the economy is almost entirely dollarized, the high demand and intense ...

Wassim Mansouri Reflects on His Interim Leadership at the BDL

As the Lebanese Cabinet under Nawaf Salam prepares to appoint a new governor for the Banque du Liban (BDL), assessments on Wassim Mansouri's interim tenure since August 2023 are mixed. Some view his actions as having preserved a degree of stability amidst unprecedented political and security crises, while others argue that the stability he has ...

The Public Appointment Mechanism: An Overview

This is Beirut has reviewed a copy of the document outlining the mechanism set by the Council of Ministers for public appointments. According to Minister of Information Paul Morcos, this document is a preliminary draft that is expected to be finalized and approved by the Cabinet on Thursday. Here are the main points. The process is primarily ...

BDL’s Gold: An Untouchable Treasure or a Last Resort?

Following the government’s policy statement and the president’s inaugural speech, it is clear that a new momentum is emerging to address the pending economic issues. Controversial proposals are emerging, notably the idea of using Lebanon's Central Bank gold reserves (BDL) to partially bridge the financial deficit. However, it is evident that ...