Economy

Choucair Calls for Reconsideration of the 1991 Treaty with Syria

The President of the Economic Organizations and former minister, Mohammad Choucair, has called for a reconsideration of the 1991 Treaty of Fraternity, Cooperation and Coordination signed between Lebanon and Syria. This appeal was made in two letters he addressed to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati. ...

Fayad Launches Initiative for Fuel Importation and Storage for Industrial Use

Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad announced on Monday the signing of an agreement between his ministry, the oil facilities in Tripoli and Zahrani, and the Association of Lebanese Industrialists, which permits industrialists to store the diesel fuel they import in the storage tanks of the Tripoli oil facilities.   According to the agreement, ...

Salloum: The Fall of the Syrian Regime Will End Drug Smuggling

The President of the Pharmacists’ Syndicate, Joe Salloum, stated that the fall of the Syrian regime would put an end to the smuggling of medications, noting that subsidized medicines have been smuggled across border points.   "With the regime's fall, the borders will be controlled, and the process of drug smuggling in both directions will come ...

Syria’s Empty Treasury Shifts Focus to Frozen Assets Abroad

A few days after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, the Syrian pound made a dramatic recovery against the US dollar in local markets, trading between 13,000 and 15,000 pounds per dollar. This rebound followed months of sharp devaluation, with the exchange rate previously collapsing to nearly 60,000 pounds per dollar on the black ...

Exclusive: Shops Reopen in Damascus, Revival After the Fall of the Regime

Commercial activity is picking up vigorously in the central markets of Damascus, where shops have reopened and are once again attracting customers. However, the recovery remains more hesitant in Christian neighborhoods like Bab Touma. Political uncertainty and a fragile economic situation are holding back merchants, who are still reluctant to ...

CNSS Releases an Advance of 30 Billion to Hospitals

The Director-General of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), Mohammad Karaki, has instructed the relevant financial departments to transfer 30 billion Lebanese pounds to hospitals. This brings the total disbursed amount to hospitals since the beginning of November to 181 billion pounds. These transfers reflect the CNSS management's ...

Syria Post-Assad – Day 1: Basic Necessities, Telecommunications and the Future of the Syrian Pound

Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syria is left with a crumbling economy, shaped by decades of state control and average wages barely surpassing $40 per month. The country’s economic prospects now depend largely on the removal of American and Western sanctions, as well as financial assistance from the international community. ...

Record S&P 500 and Nasdaq on Wall Street, Thanks to US Employment Figures

The Nasdaq and the S&P hit fresh records on Friday after the November US jobs report came in better than expected, with the Dow edging down. The world's biggest economy gained 227,000 jobs in November, up from a revised 36,000 in October, according to the Department of Labor. "It's kind of being viewed as a Goldilocks jobs print," Tom Cahill ...

Rebuilding Lebanon: A Path to Economic Revival

This is probably the reality Lebanon will have to face. With the end of the war, the countdown has begun, including an assessment of damages estimated at $6 billion and the initiation of reconstruction. The productive and economic sectors will have the opportunity for a significant recovery, starting with the laying of the cornerstone on the site ...

Revaluation of Inventories and Fixed Assets: A Strategic Advantage for Businesses

Industrial and commercial business owners are celebrating a major victory. Last Thursday, Parliament passed in a plenary session the bill amending Article 45 of Decree-Law No. 144 of June 12, 1959 (the Income Tax Law). This amendment grants "exceptional authorization" to income taxpayers, allowing them to revalue their inventories and real estate ...

Exit from Gray List: Banks' Compliance and Government Action

On October 25, Lebanon was officially placed on the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), subjecting the country to enhanced monitoring. The FATF report highlighted ongoing vulnerabilities in Lebanon’s efforts to strengthen measures against money laundering and terrorism financing. A key point in the report was FATF’s ...

Hajj Hassan: Aerial Study With FAO Reveals 70% Devastation in Agricultural Sector

Caretaker Minister of Agriculture Abbas Hajj Hassan highlighted the extensive damage to Lebanon's agricultural sector, estimated at around 70%, based on an aerial study conducted in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assess the losses.  He emphasized that Israeli bombardments have caused significant destruction, ...