Lebanon: Promising Blocks Attract Investments
Maurice Matta 27/05 08:27 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
So far, TotalEnergies Group's report on drilling and exploration results in Block 9, southern Lebanon, remains unpublished, albeit the legal deadline passing for TotalEnergies to submit it to the Lebanese State represented by the Ministry of Energy. Drilling operations in the mentioned block ceased in mid-October 2023, and despite Minister Walid ...
BDL’s Strategy to Tackle Deposit Crisis: An Increase in Withdrawal Exchange Rate?
Maurice Matta 20/05 12:20 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
The official exchange rate of 89,500 Lebanese pounds to one US dollar is recognized by the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) as the unified exchange rate, which banks are required to use when drafting their financial statements and periodic reports. This rate aligns with the parallel market exchange rate. BDL’s Acting Governor, Wassim Mansouri, keeps ...
Teachers' Pay at Risk Due to Fund Employees’ Strike
Maurice Matta 20/04 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
In a noteworthy development, employees of the Compensation Fund for Educational Staff in private schools apologized for suspending all reviews for two days. This action underscores the financial difficulties that the fund has been encountering since 2019, with its monetary revenues declining and depreciating in the Lebanese currency, compounded by ...
Critical Weeks for Lebanon's IMF Agreement
Maurice Matta 08/04 16:28 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The European Union's stance is in line with that of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) regarding recent indications and developments in Lebanon, including the passage of the 2024 budget within constitutional deadlines, reforms to banking secrecy laws and stabilization of the exchange rate in the parallel market. These developments signal that ...
Two Years After IMF Agreement: No Deposit Disposal!
Maurice Matta 07/04 12:00 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Today, April 7, marks the second anniversary of the agreement signed between the Lebanese government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation at the Presidential Palace in the presence of former President Michel Aoun. The signing took place under his auspices, as he exercised his constitutional prerogative. As president, he is ...
Rental Law Contracts: LBP 1515 Challenges the Good Faith Principle
Maurice Matta 26/03 12:30 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
Recently, Antoine el-Hajj, the sole civil judge presiding over rental disputes in Jounieh, issued a ruling directly addressing the deadlines outlined in the Rental Law. This decision explained the legal validity of the law since 2014, thereby confirming the enforceability of the nine-year grace period from that point onwards, which expired ...
Will Private Schools Be Able to Pay Teachers' Raises?
Maurice Matta 02/03 11:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The agreement, approved by the caretaker government, between the Teachers' Syndicate and the Federation of Private Educational Institutions under the auspices of the Ministry of Education for financing the indemnity fund (amounting to 100 billion Lebanese Pounds) for the teaching community has enabled the fund to pay salary increases to retired ...
Chaotic Exchange Rate: Will the MOF Transition to 25,000 LBP?
Maurice Matta 20/02 10:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
A recent decision of the State Council was accepted following a review by the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), which nullified the government's directive in the financial recovery plan to cancel the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) obligations in foreign currencies to banks. This decision dealt a significant blow to caretaker Prime Minister ...
The State Council Delivers a Heavy Blow to Mikati’s Plan!
Maurice Matta 13/02 22:59 - Reading : 6 minute(s)
In its final "constitutional" session before transitioning into a caretaker government, on May 20, 2022, Najib Mikati’s Cabinet endorsed a plan for financial and economic recovery. It included a document titled "Strategy for Financial Sector Revitalization," which, in its third clause, outlined the cancelation of a significant portion of the ...
No Looming Solutions for Telecom Employees!
Maurice Matta 11/02 17:36 - Reading : 8 minute(s)
No signs of a solution loom on the horizon for the escalating crisis between the Caretaker Minister of Telecommunications, Johnny Corm, and the unions of employees of the telecommunications companies in Lebanon, Alfa and Touch. So far, the Minister has refused to sign the new collective labor contract requested by the employees, arguing that given ...
2024 Budget Appeal on Burning Soil
Maurice Matta 06/02 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
As expected, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri signed the draft law for the 2024 budget and transferred it to the Caretaker Prime Minister. All eyes are now on the final budget draft, which will most probably be published in the official gazette this week. According to certain information, the Lebanese Forces bloc formed a smaller parliamentary ...
Final Negotiations Around Circular 151
Maurice Matta 02/02 12:07 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
All eyes are on the meeting of the Central Council of the Banque du Liban, scheduled for today, led by the vice-governor Wassim Mansouri, alongside council members. The agenda for this meeting, initially set for Wednesday and rescheduled due to some members' travel, includes the amendment of Circular 151 after extensive weeks of discussions and ...
Budget 2024: No Reforms, No Vision, Only Taxes and Fees
Maurice Matta 29/01 13:31 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
The Lebanese Parliament approved last weekend, within the constitutional timeframe, the draft budget law for the year 2024, after bringing in the necessary amendments. However, the draft law neglected to include crucial reforms that could help the country come out of its financial collapse. The Parliament-approved budget underwent a thorough ...
Will the State Council Suspend Mikati’s Decision?
Maurice Matta 23/01 12:44 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Following the adoption of fourteen laws during the Parliament sessions on December 14 and 15 and the decision of the Council of Ministers, during its session on December 19, to issue these laws in the name of the President of the Republic, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati signed only eleven laws, deciding not to publish three others, ...
Teachers’ Strike: Can Halabi Turn the Tide?
Maurice Matta 22/01 16:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The Teachers' Syndicate in Lebanon is set to go on strike in all private schools across the country tomorrow, Tuesday, unless private educational institutions comply with the teachers' demands. This follows the withdrawal of the Union of Private Educational Institutions from the agreement sponsored by the Minister of Education, which seeks to ...