A walk in Mar Mikhael reveals that it has become the hub of hospitality for millennials in Lebanon; during the day, its appealing restaurants and quick snacks attract those who work in the area, while in the evening, it’s a destination for gatherings with friends over drinks or bistro dinners. As such, Banque Libano-Française (BLF)…
E-banking lands in Mar Mikhael
Factors keeping Lebanese youth unemployed
On the one side are Lebanese youths eager to work, on the other are local employers looking for staff. So why are businesses—especially those based outside of Beirut—not recruiting more local youth? This question was the driving force behind Mercy Corps’ Youth-led Market Assessment (YLMA) in 2018. The YLMA explored the reasons why youth were…
Creating a price-stable cryptocurrency
It has been a tumultuous time for cryptocurrency investors and advocates alike who have watched the market value of the industry drastically drop in the past year. However, some optimism is growing in the space as committed developers and blockchain advocates shun the daily obsession over price changes. The highly speculative nature of the crypto-market…
Interview with Credit Libanais Deputy General Manager Randa Bdeir
Randa Bdeir has spearheaded innovation at three key banks in Lebanon since the early 1990s. The mother of four began working as a researcher on credit card payments at Banque du Liban (BDL), Lebanon’s central bank, and quickly became one of the few women in a managerial position in the banking sector at that time.…
Investing in cybersecurity companies
When it comes to predictions for this year, there are some prophecies that are practically risk-free, even outside the notion that the biggest risks of 2019 are not related to financial markets or even economic uncertainty. One such virtually risk-free prediction is that the digital transformation will continue. Another safe one is that Big Data…
Bel Lebnééné calls for Lebanese Arabic to be standardized
Lebanon has a long history as a shipping and trading hub, leveraging its geographical location on the Mediterranean Sea and connecting mainland Europe to the Arab hinterland. It was several thousand years ago that religious texts referenced the peoples of Mesopotamia (in what is now modern day Iraq) first migrating and settling on the coastal…
A new legal class on digital
Political class is not always a flattering term. Actually, undercurrents of personal animosity and/or political criticism are endemic when discussions turn to the political class—in any country. In Lebanon, the most frequent connotations of the term appear to be wasta and corruption. Hailing from a political family is in this sense a definite reputational burden…
Interview with the new Lebanese minister of state for information technology and investment
Lebanon is well-acquainted with the true diaspora returnee: the individual born in Lebanon who departed at some point in the 20th century, who has one or multiple tertiary education degrees—often earned at a ranking European or American university—and who succeeded in his career abroad before returning to Lebanon, for reasons ranging from family responsibilities or/and…
Building Lebanon’s destination marketing to fuel growth
Lebanon has long been a crucial center for creativity and innovation, and is reputed to have some of the most successful advertising agencies and marketers among its citizens. Yet the country does not have its own marketing plan. There is no unified strategy for promoting Lebanon as a country to either tourists or investors. It…
An urgent need for reform
There has been a growing concern over Lebanon’s debt outlook. True, the fiscal deficit at end of Q3 2018 was twice that of 2017 for the same period. Two main factors contributed to its escalation: First, the wage and salary increases that were adopted during the last quarter of the 2017 budget and extended through…
Childcare is not just a practical problem
I had been working in childcare for two years before I became a mom. As a founder of Jaleesa, an online platform to find babysitters and nannies in Lebanon, I have spoken to hundreds of parents—mainly moms—about the challenges of work and childcare. Parents have helped us to define a carer’s main role: to keep…
The greatest adventure
The greatest adventure of all, that is how I would describe my dual journey: my career and motherhood. The ability to balance two vastly different worlds is testament to the versatility and strength that lies within each woman. This ability is often left untapped and under-appreciated, because the world continually tries to convince us that…
Redefining roles
Fleeing conflict, leaving one’s home, and settling in a strange—and often unwelcoming—environment is challenging. For female refugees these challenges can be compounded, as many experience a shift in their accustomed gender roles. Many women in Syria played the role of housewife, but in Lebanon they must assume a new role—that of breadwinner. The 2018 Vulnerability…
All in a day’s work
To paraphrase a popular saying: You cannot truly understand someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Even with all the research and theorizing on the plight of working moms, fully grasping the experience of raising children while maintaining a career requires actually living it, or the next best thing—truly listening to those…
Caught between home and the office
A typical week-day in the life of a woman with a career and children looks something like this: She gets out of bed at 6 a.m. to get her children ready for their day, then goes to work for at least nine hours (often working through her lunch break) before picking up her children from…