Home JUNE 2014

JUNE 2014

by reeda

JUNE 2014

 

EDITORIAL





LEADERS



Don’t kill the banks
Not all taxes created equal






Fiscal flood
Lebanon must prepare for higher interest rates






Let the people decide
The system is broken; it’s time for something new




SPECIAL REPORT: BANKING



Guarding a fragile future
Banks shudder as the government grabs for their profits






Should our banks pay more? No.
The tax increases on the banking sector are unjustified and poorly timed






Minding the moneylenders
Dany Baz, general manager of Bankdata, offers insights into the banking industry


and




On the lending prowl
Creditbank reaches alpha bank status through private lending






Mind games
Banks encourage the use of cards with promises of big prizes






Lebanon's payment getaway curse
Lebanese merchants find temporary fix , no solution






The [not so little] bank that could
Bank Audi’s Turkish venture is performing beyond expectations






Size does matter
Freddie Baz explains how Turkish expansion hints at Audi Group’s regional strategy






Banking on the future of Iraq
Lebanese banks see small activity, but big potential in Iraqi market






Ambassadors of Citi
Why Citibank wants to stay in Lebanon






Lebanon’s financial sector braces for FATCA
Banks prepare to open their books to the long arms of Uncle Sam






Defending the banks’ bottom line
Q&A with Makram Sader, secretary general of the Association of Banks in Lebanon




ECONOMICS & POLICY



Refugees in their own homeland
Lebanese returnees fleeing Syria receive only meager assistance


and




Between vision and mirage
A lack of strategy in natural gas exploitation is causing frustration






New media mandates a new school system
New techonology poses challenges to educational system


, and




The unwarranted embrace of decentralization
Ulterior motives threaten the viability of a federal Yemen






Avoiding the rise of ‘little’ Lebanon
Stiff challenges stand in the way of successful decentralization




REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPING



Competing constructions
The Real Estate Syndicate of Lebanon prepares for its first awards program






Building luxury in Erbil
New mixed use development on track to open in 2016


Misleading law on measurements
Reform would enhance market transparency




HOSPITALITY & RETAIL



La Traviata invites you to Italy
A look at Gemmayze’s authentic Bologna eatery




SOCIETY



In photos: Misery and cheer
Lebanon’s domestic workers demand basic rights


and




Bringing Lebanese cinema to Cannes
Two local films will be screened during the festival






Lebanese basketball returns
The national team is set to take the court this week


Copy paste republic of Lebanon
We must end the scourge of plagiarism




BUSINESS ESSENTIALS





LAST WORD



Easing the pressure on Iran nuclear talks
Progress in negotiations bodes well for the region