Banque du Liban

BDL Takes Action: Ban on Transactions with Al-Qard Al-Hassan & co.

The circular (No. 170) published by the Banque du Liban, accompanied by Basic Decision No. 13335, marks a decisive turning point in regulating the Lebanese financial sector. By formally banning banks and financial institutions from any relationship with unauthorized entities, particularly the association Al-Qard Al-Hassan, the Banque du Liban is ...

Parliamentary Subcommittee Advances Banking Reform Bill

The parliamentary subcommittee tasked with drafting the long-awaited banking reform bill made significant headway on Monday, as lawmakers inched closer to adopting several key provisions aimed at revamping the financial sector. Chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, the session was attended by Minister of Finance Yassine Jaber, a number of MPs and Central ...

Government Finalizes Financial Appointments, Names Mazen Soueid as Head of the Banking Control Commission

At midnight between Monday and Tuesday, June 9, the terms of the four vice governors of the Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) expired: Wassim Mansouri, Bachir Yaqzan, Salim Chahine, and Alexander Mouradian, along with the mandate of the president and members of the Banking Control Commission and three members appointed as experts to the Capital ...

BDL Orders Institutions to Accept Old US Dollar Notes

The Banque du Liban (BDL) has issued a directive requiring all banks, financial institutions, money exchange companies and electronic money transfer firms operating in Lebanon to accept all authentic US dollar banknotes, regardless of whether they are from older or newer series. In a statement released on Tuesday, the central bank emphasized that ...

BDL Issues Circular to Regulate Foreign Transfers

Banque du Liban (BDL) issued Circular No. 169 on Tuesday, introducing new restrictions on the transfer of deposits abroad in a bid to promote fairness among depositors amid Lebanon’s ongoing financial crisis. Under the new directive, banks are prohibited from transferring deposits outside Lebanon without prior approval from BDL. The measure is ...

Banking Reform Heats Up as Souhaid Pushes to Clarify Commission Powers

Most members of the Finance and Budget Committee’s subcommittee tasked with reviewing the draft Banking Reform Law agree on the need to protect the legislative reform process from both endless debate and political divisions, which could undermine the urgent financial restructuring Lebanon requires domestically and internationally. Participants ...

Parliamentary Committee Debates LBP 2,000 Billion Credit Allocation

The Finance and Budget Committee, chaired by MP Ibrahim Kanaan, convened on Tuesday to review a proposed supplementary credit of 2,000 billion Lebanese liras to the national budget. The session, held in the presence of Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, Justice Minister Adel Nassar, numerous MPs and representatives from key public institutions, ...

BDL Raises Monthly Withdrawal Limits

The Central Bank of Lebanon (BDL) announced on Wednesday a one-year extension of Circulars 158 and 166, initially set to expire on June 30, 2025. The decision, which comes amid a prolonged financial crisis, aims to address the pressing needs of depositors and help preserve social stability. As part of the extension, BDL also increased the monthly ...

Key Appointments at Banque du Liban Still Pending

The terms of the four vice-governors of the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL) will expire on June 11, along with those of the chairman and members of the Banking Control Commission, as well as three experts on the Capital Markets Authority. In line with Article 18 of the Code of Money and Credit, the governor of BDL is appointed by decree for a ...

ABL Calls for a 'New Phase' Based on Shared Responsibility

In the editorial of its monthly report titled “A New Phase on the Horizon,” the Secretary-General of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL), Fadi Khalaf, emphasized that no economic recovery plan can succeed without serious cooperation among all stakeholders. He stressed that this partnership must ensure the protection of depositors' rights ...

BDL Issues Statement on Legal Measures and Financial Transparency

Lebanon’s Central Bank (BDL) announced in an official statement that it remains committed to transparency and integrity within the financial sector. It is actively pursuing legal procedures in collaboration with specialized law firms across several European countries and other international jurisdictions. This effort aims to initiate judicial ...

Interest on Lebanese Pound Deposits Drops

2% — that’s the average interest rate on deposits in Lebanese pounds, according to the latest figures released by the Banque du Liban for March 2025. This represents a clear decline from 2.86% in February, although it remains higher than the rate recorded a year earlier in March 2024, when it stood at just 1%. In contrast, interest rates on ...