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Gold boosts BDL assets Total assets at Banque du Liban (BDL), Lebanon’s central bank, rose 6.2 percent in August to reach $72.75 billion, mainly due to an increase in the international price of gold. The value of BDL’s gold reserves increased by 12.5 percent to $16.75 billion, accounting for 44 percent of the rise in total assets. Lebanon plans to keep its gold reserves at around $17 billion as it tries to protect its economy from domestic unrest in neighboring countries, according to BDL Governor Riad Salameh. The central bank’s foreign assets (excluding gold) rose by 5.6 percent in August to $32.14 billion due to an increase in confidence in the Lebanese currency. On the liabilities side, private sector deposits increased 3.7 percent to $48.6 billion, while public sector deposits went up around 7 percent to $6.08 billion. HSBC axes Lebanon branches and jobs  HSBC is closing three branches in