banks

Mali’s Fuel Crisis: A Nationwide Standstill

Since early September, queues at gas stations in Bamako have been endlessly growing. The jihadist group JNIM (Jamaʿat Nuṣrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin) has blocked fuel convoys from Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, destroying nearly 100 tanker trucks, according to the Associated Press (AP). As a landlocked country, Mali relies on imports for more ...

Beirut’s Southern Suburbs: Real Estate Sales Driven by Fear of a New War

The southern suburbs of Beirut are reportedly seeing an unprecedented wave of real estate sales amid rising tensions between Israel and Hezbollah. A political and military stronghold of the pro-Iranian militia, this densely populated area was heavily targeted during the fall 2024 war and continued to face strikes even after the ceasefire reached ...

No Electoral Reform in Sight as Parliament Faces Quorum Doubts

Uncertainty continues to surround the plenary session scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday. The session is set to resume the review of bills and draft laws that were on the agenda for the September 29 meeting. That session was postponed after MPs from several parliamentary blocs, including the Lebanese Forces (LF), Kataeb, the Progressive Socialist ...

Lebanon and the Middle East: Between Irrationality and Paradox

When irrationality and reckless behavior come to define the actions of a powerful political faction, it doesn’t take long before red lines are dangerously breached. As a result, serious threats hang over the lives of populations directly exposed to the faction’s erratic excesses. This is exactly what we are witnessing today among several of ...

Syria Urges Banks to Provision Their Claims on Lebanon

The Central Bank of Syria has given domestic banks a six-month deadline to fully provision their claims on the Lebanese banking sector, estimated at $1.6 billion, according to a circular cited by Reuters. The directive does not specify the exact nature of these claims – whether deposits, placements or financial investments – making their ...

De-dollarization: Enduring Shift or Fleeting Illusion?

De-dollarization — whether an enduring trend or a fleeting declaration — reflects a growing determination among emerging powers to reduce global dependence on the US dollar, long the cornerstone of international trade and finance. The initiative seeks to rebalance a monetary system historically dominated by the greenback and move toward a more ...

Lebanon 2019: Behind a Programmed Revolution (2/2)

Lebanon has an exceptionally dense civil society sector. Hundreds of local NGOs receive funding from international organizations such as the European Union, various United Nations agencies, private foundations like Ford, Rockefeller and Open Society, as well as contributions from the diaspora. Most of this funding is fully declared, independently ...

Lebanon: Signs of Recovery Amid Economic and Humanitarian Challenges

As Lebanon gradually emerges from a period marked by deep political, economic, and humanitarian turmoil, the World Bank’s latest MENAAP (Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) Economic Report, published in October 2025, gives encouraging prospects for the country. Despite ongoing fragility, particularly in public finances and ...

Qaraoun Lake: Lebanon’s Silent Ecological Disaster

Every year, an estimated 50 million cubic meters of domestic wastewater are discharged into Lake Qaraoun. Added to this are 2 million cubic meters of industrial wastewater, as well as waste from Syrian migrant camps established by the state along the riverbanks. This toxic mix is putting one of Lebanon’s largest freshwater reservoirs at serious ...

One Year On: Southern Lebanon Devastated

One year after the September 2024 war, southern Lebanon bears deep scars. Ravaged by strikes and displacement, the region faces a dual crisis: a collapsing economy and the quiet unraveling of its social fabric. Behind shattered facades and shuttered markets, an entire way of life teeters on the brink of a merciless winter. Agonizing Markets In ...

Burning Issues in the Syrian Visit to Beirut

Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani is visiting Beirut this Friday for his first official trip since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Long postponed, the visit marks a symbolic step toward restoring ties between Lebanon and Syria after a decade of mistrust. It follows a series of technical missions by Syrian officials exploring ...