Economy

Salaries: The Enduring Struggle of Retired Military Personnel
Salaries: The Enduring Struggle of Retired Military Personnel

The government failed to fulfill its commitment to provide a decent salary for public sector employees, especially retired army personnel, who once again took to the streets on Tuesday to express their outrage. The decline in purchasing power of wages and pensions of military personnel, veterans and public sector employees is not a new issue. ...

Touch: Customer Count Hits Record High
Touch: Customer Count Hits Record High

The mobile phone operator Touch announced on Tuesday that it has "strengthened its leadership position in the telecommunications and cellular data sector in Lebanon by setting a record number of clients, reaching the highest number ever recorded in the history of telecom operators in Lebanon, with 2.57 million customers as of last August." Thus, ...

Real Estate in Lebanon: A Valuable Investment
Real Estate in Lebanon: A Valuable Investment

The real estate sector in Lebanon remains a valuable investment in the medium and long term, according to a new report by Bank Audi. The study highlights that the real estate market in Lebanon has been under significant pressure since the onset of the crisis in 2019, with an overall contraction in demand. This is mainly due to the notable decrease ...

NSSF: Increase in Surgical Coverage
NSSF: Increase in Surgical Coverage

The National Social Security Fund (NSSF) announced in a statement on Monday that surgical coverage will be increased to 90% starting September 10. This decision follows meetings between the NSSF and the Private Hospitals Syndicate to adjust surgery rates, ensuring that insured individuals will not incur additional costs. This measure restores ...

Budget 2025: An Equation with Many Unknowns
Budget 2025: An Equation with Many Unknowns

Listen to the article   The objective of the 2025 budget proposal is to maintain a relative balance between revenues and expenditures, with the aim of keeping the overall deficit under 4.1%, or approximately $190 million. The draft budget submitted in August by caretaker Finance Minister, Youssef Khalil, forecasts a substantial increase in ...

The Electricity File Takes Center Stage in Parliament
The Electricity File Takes Center Stage in Parliament

The Parliamentary Committee for Public Works, Energy, Transport and Water launched a workshop on Thursday to discuss the electricity issue. However, the final outcome remains unknown, as the Lebanese State does not seem to have resolved to seriously reform this sector. In parallel, Lebanese Forces MPs submitted to the Chamber's bureau a bill that ...

Correspondent Banks: Transfers Safe Despite Potential Grey Listing
Correspondent Banks: Transfers Safe Despite Potential Grey Listing

Wassim Mansouri, Acting Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL), is meeting in London with officials from correspondent banks that interact with Lebanese banks. The goal is to address potential impacts of any negative decisions taken by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ahead of its crucial meeting to assess countries' compliance with ...

Public Sector Employees: More Strikes... Again
Public Sector Employees: More Strikes... Again

Public sector employees have renewed their push for a salary review and announced a two-day warning strike on September 5 and 6. This Is Beirut looks back at the sporadic strikes that the public sector has been organizing since 2019. The League of Civil Employees has announced a two-day warning strike on September 5 and 6, accusing the government ...

Bank Loans Are Back…
Bank Loans Are Back…

Bank loans are back, but the criteria for accessing them are stricter in terms of candidate eligibility, loan purpose, amount, and repayment period. Contrary to popular belief, these loans are not available due to fresh deposits in foreign currencies. Such deposits are tightly protected and regulated by a series of circulars issued by the ...

Summer 2024: A Season That Fell Short of Expectations
Summer 2024: A Season That Fell Short of Expectations

The summer wraps up with Lebanon at the center of attention. As the new school year looms, tourism professionals are reflecting on the summer of 2024. The season has been notably catastrophic, falling far below expectations. Catastrophic, terrible, mediocre, or not too bad, tourism professionals are delivering an initial assessment of the unusual ...

EDL: Unloading of Diesel Cargoes
EDL: Unloading of Diesel Cargoes

Électricité du Liban (EDL) has announced that they have started unloading the tanker's cargo off the Zahrani power station. As a result, electricity supplies will gradually increase starting this Friday evening. In a press release, the state-owned supplier states that laboratory tests proved to be in line with the required specifications, which ...