Banque du Liban

In the annals of economic distress, poignant statements often serve as harbingers of the challenges that lie ahead. Three years ago, then- President Michel Aoun’s proclamation that we were going…

The Lebanese are currently subjected to depreciation, with the ever-rising prices of goods and services, self-imposed limits on withdrawals by banks at a rate of LBP 3,900 to the dollar,…

With daily electricity cuts and the lingering garbage crisis overwhelming us, it may be hard to keep our attention on the positive: There is a growing “maker movement” in Lebanon—also…

With the mid-April implementation of the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act (HIFPA), signed into United States law in December 2015, Executive inquires whether Lebanese financial institutions face an increased level…

The entrepreneurship ecosystem is evolving and becoming more ‘startup friendly’, hosting networking events every other week and improving the access youthful entrepreneurs have to information. Little by little, startups are…

The plans to create a successful startup and entrepreneurial ecosystem are tentatively falling into place in Lebanon. From Circular 331 to the launch of new accelerators, the sector has changed…

When Samer Karam talks about his new job it sounds as fantastic as if Sinatra had just sat down next to Peggy Lee to intone the Gershwin classic, ‘Nice Work…

The torrent of “free” money that Banque du Liban (BDL) Circular 331 was expected to release is still but a trickle. Approved by Lebanon’s central bank in August 2013, the…

Lebanon is at a crossroads. It has been two years since the announcement of Circular 331, and the murmurings of a revitalised golden age brought about by our startup and…

There is a deep rooted intuition or cultural knowledge that monetary power is extremely risky. Long before things like fiat money and central banking made their first appearances, this cultural…