Liliane Mokbel is an experienced journalist and editor specializing in economics, with many years of work in print media and radio. A graduate of ESCP Business School, she is also skilled in web writing and proficient in AI-assisted content creation tools, offering insightful and accessible analysis of curret economic issues.
Liliane Mokbel 08/03 22:04 - Reading : less than a minute
In 2024, a total of 8,226 new cars were sold, representing a 25.05% increase compared to the 6,578 units sold in 2023, according to the International Chamber of Navigation of Beirut. However, despite this growth, the market for new car imports remains significantly below pre-2018 levels. By comparison, 21,991 vehicles were sold in 2019, 33,012 ...
Liliane Mokbel 07/03 19:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanon 2025 Budget Yassin Jaber
The massive surtax on alcoholic beverages proposed in the 2025 budget has sparked outrage among hotel and restaurant owners, who fear it will negatively impact consumption and, consequently, their businesses and the overall tourism sector. The tax rates have been multiplied by 225 and up to 750 times, which is utterly staggering. This tax hike is ...
Liliane Mokbel 06/03 19:39 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Salary civil servants Minimum salary public sector private sector
The issue of raising the minimum wage is back on the table, highlighting a stark wage gap between the private and public sectors. Despite a 95% devaluation of the Lebanese pound since October 2019, the minimum wage in the public sector remains set at 6,750,000 pounds, while it has reached 18,000,000 pounds in the private sector. This disparity ...
Liliane Mokbel 05/03 19:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Banks Central Bank of Lebanon Gold Reserves Lebanon
Following the government’s policy statement and the president’s inaugural speech, it is clear that a new momentum is emerging to address the pending economic issues. Controversial proposals are emerging, notably the idea of using Lebanon's Central Bank gold reserves (BDL) to partially bridge the financial deficit. However, it is evident that ...
Liliane Mokbel 03/03 14:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Central Bank of Lebanon International Monetary Fund Hezbollah FATF Terrorism Money laundering
The arrest this weekend of a passenger carrying $2.5 million in cash at Beirut’s International Airport marks an important step in the fight against the illegal transport of currency. This action underscores the Lebanese authorities' commitment to tightening controls and curbing such practices. Under the supervision of General Fadi Kfoury, the ...
Liliane Mokbel 01/03 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
According to Labora, a Lebanese NGO focused on reducing unemployment, 82% of the 2024 Finance Law and the 2025 budget proposal are allocated to cover the public sector's operational costs. This exceeds the World Bank's 30% threshold, beyond which it refuses to finance budgets, as it views such high spending as a risk of public fund mismanagement ...
Liliane Mokbel 28/02 13:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Hezbollah continues to pay salaries to its leaders, but the long-term sustainability of this practice is increasingly uncertain. The challenges in receiving Iranian funds have grown, compounded by the closure of hard drug production facilities in Syria. The land route to transfer these funds through Syria has been entirely shut down, and the air ...
Liliane Mokbel 26/02 15:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
European Union USA Europe Gulf Saudi Arabia
The Partial Lifting of European Sanctions Is Insufficient The partial lifting of European sanctions on Syria is a positive step that could help accelerate economic recovery. However, this measure remains inadequate given the urgent need for support. While some Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, notably Qatar and Saudi Arabia, are willing ...
Liliane Mokbel 22/02 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Central Bank of Lebanon Public Administration Positions
113 senior positions within Lebanon's central administration are currently vacant and filled on an interim basis, according to sources close to the Grand Serail. This number is expected to increase by the end of 2025. Among the key positions to be filled are the Governor of the Central Bank (BDL), the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, and the ...
Liliane Mokbel 20/02 21:18 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The illegal trafficking of goods between Lebanon and Syria has been a longstanding issue. Despite the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, little progress has been made, even with the United Kingdom’s assistance to Lebanon in securing its borders, notably through the construction of surveillance towers along the northern and eastern ...
Liliane Mokbel 18/02 20:50 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Lebanon Hezbollah Kleiate Airport
From the moment he was appointed, Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny has shown a firm determination to revive the rehabilitation project of Qlayaat Airport, also known as René Mouawad Airport. According to him, this initiative will be part of a comprehensive vision for air transport, which will be implemented once the government ...
Liliane Mokbel 15/02 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
In 2024, the total value of fresh dollar checks cleared amounted to $302 million, according to data from the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) and the research department at Bank Audi. On average, $25.2 million in fresh dollar checks were cleared each month throughout the year. The value of these checks experienced a monthly increase of 17%, ...
Liliane Mokbel 13/02 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
In an interview with This is Beirut, Ahmad el-Khatib, managing partner of Century 21 Lebanon, an international real estate brokerage agency, shares his vision of the Lebanese real estate market. “As real estate brokers, we are at the heart of the market and directly feel its fluctuations, whether positive or negative. Our daily interactions ...
Liliane Mokbel 11/02 16:32 - Reading : 4 minute(s)
Banks Lebanon Real Estate Market
Lebanon’s real estate market is currently defined by a mismatch between sellers’ and buyers’ expectations. While sellers are banking on a price increase, driven by hopes of an economic recovery following the election of a president after more than two and a half years of political deadlock, buyers continue to perceive a stagnant market. A ...
Liliane Mokbel 08/02 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
lebanon Banque du Liban electricity
Electricity production increased by 36.7% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, according to data from the Banque du Liban. It reached 2.239 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), up from 1.638 million kWh during the same period last year. This growth continues the 41.7% increase seen between 2022 and 2023, when total production ...
Liliane Mokbel 04/02 17:35 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
To encourage young graduates to stay in Lebanon, it is imperative to first offer them job opportunities and then viable solutions for homeownership. However, today, the landscape of real estate credit remains unclear, with no serious plan for the recovery of public and private institutions yet in place. In principle, three entities are capable of ...
Liliane Mokbel 01/02 12:43 - Reading : less than a minute
Car imports through the port of Beirut have seen a significant -20% drop in the first eleven months of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. From January to November 2024, a total of 41,135 cars were imported, down from 51,423 during the same period last year, reflecting a slowdown in the automotive import sector.
Liliane Mokbel 31/01 17:05 - Reading : 5 minute(s)
European Union Syria Sanctions US
The 27-member European Union agreed on Monday on a "roadmap" to gradually ease sanctions on key sectors of the Syrian economy that were imposed under the former regime of Bashar al-Assad. However, the EU has ruled out any unconditional lifting of these measures. The process will be gradual and subject to strict conditions. In other words, the bloc ...
Liliane Mokbel 26/01 17:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The scandal of “electoral hiring” in the public sector is not a new phenomenon. What drives these “hunters of ghost jobs” is less the salary than the associated perks: generous bonuses, discretionary spending, allowances for occasional assignments, representation expenses, and even travel indemnities for overseas trips, often handed out ...
Liliane Mokbel 25/01 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
In 2024, out of the 2,000,000 vehicles in Lebanon's automotive fleet, 800,000 are not registered with the Vehicle Registration Department and, as a result, lack mandatory auto liability insurance. This means there is roughly one car for every two residents, in a country where public transportation is virtually non-existent. The mandatory ...
Liliane Mokbel 23/01 11:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Abdallah Bou Habib Kuwait Washington
While this request appears valid and justified at first glance, it seems these organizations have forgotten what transpired just six years ago. Back then, the government responded to a similar request by appointing commercial attachés in about 20 countries deemed "strategic" for Lebanese exports. This initiative, however, was short-lived, likely ...
Liliane Mokbel 21/01 19:10 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
Banks Central Bank of Lebanon Depositors Syrians
During a visit to Syria in early January, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati was met with a striking demand from the country’s new ruler, Ahmad al-Sharaa: the restitution of Syrian deposits held in Lebanese banks. While the request might appear justified on the surface, it lacks clarity and a solid legal foundation, according to a legal ...
Liliane Mokbel 04/01 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
62 stores are currently open and welcoming customers at the Beirut Souks Shopping Center. Seven of these opened in December 2024, and six more are expected to open in January. However, the total number of open stores is still just under half of the 140 originally planned for the end of 2024 – a target set before the two months of conflict.
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-28 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Banks prices inflation crisis world bank
In Lebanon, prices in dollars rose by 4.9% between September 2019 and September 2024, according to the World Bank. Meanwhile, the Central Directorate of Statistics reports a staggering 5970% increase in prices in Lebanese pounds over the same period.
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-21 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
The Lebanese population is estimated at 5.77 million in 2023, up from 5.74 million in 2022 and 5.72 million in 2021, according to ESCWA. Lebanon's demographic trends reveal a steady growth rate since 1950, when the population stood at 1.35 million. By 2000, the population had reached 4.33 million, and by 2020, it had grown to 5.70 million. The ...
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-18 20:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
The issue of counterfeit $50 bills appears to be nearing a resolution. Over 80% of shops, supermarkets and gas stations now accept these bills for cash payments. The remaining 15% mainly consists of small neighborhood businesses, which have been particularly affected by the economic crisis and the fragility of a cash-reliant economy. “Most ...
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-14 12:00 - Reading : less than a minute
Hezbollah Israel damage reconstruction
The price of a meter of glass has surged to $80, up from $30 before the start of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. This price does not include the cost of labor for installation. Glaziers attribute the increase to a surge in demand, primarily driven by the reconstruction and repair of buildings and structures damaged by Israeli ...
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-13 20:07 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Lebanese farmers continue to endure substantial losses. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, the movement of refrigerated and covered trucks between Lebanon and the Arab hinterland has become increasingly irregular. All Lebanese exports and imports sent overland to and from the Arab world are reliant on transit through ...
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-10 16:30 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Syria Reconstruction Caesar Act
According to estimates from various UN and international sources, Syria's reconstruction could yield benefits for all. However, these prospects remain uncertain and far from guaranteed. With the country still reeling from the war that followed the 2011 uprising, Syria's reconstruction is shaping up to be a lengthy and costly process, but it ...
Liliane Mokbel 2024-12-08 13:10 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Syria is left with a crumbling economy, shaped by decades of state control and average wages barely surpassing $40 per month. The country’s economic prospects now depend largely on the removal of American and Western sanctions, as well as financial assistance from the international community. ...