The entrance of the ABL headquarters, damaged in the wake of the Oct. 17, 2019, protests, on Aug. 7, 2025. (Credit: Philippe Hage Boutros/L’Orient-Le Jour)
After years of hardline resistance, is the banking lobby now ready to compromise?Following a harsh reaction in early January to the Cabinet’s adoption of the draft law on restoring financial order and returning deposits, including threats of a sector-wide strike, the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) has noticeably adjusted its messaging. Rather than rejecting the draft outright, it is now focusing on specific provisions it deems “confiscatory,” calling for their revision instead of scrapping the entire bill. Some context Financial gap: IMF demanding additional clarity on hierarchy of responsibilities, Salam says According to sources close to the sector, the ABL’s current approach reflects pressure from several major banks seeking to preserve a fragile internal balance. Without fully abandoning the line long defended by the...
After years of hardline resistance, is the banking lobby now ready to compromise?Following a harsh reaction in early January to the Cabinet’s adoption of the draft law on restoring financial order and returning deposits, including threats of a sector-wide strike, the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) has noticeably adjusted its messaging. Rather than rejecting the draft outright, it is now focusing on specific provisions it deems “confiscatory,” calling for their revision instead of scrapping the entire bill. Some context Financial gap: IMF demanding additional clarity on hierarchy of responsibilities, Salam says According to sources close to the sector, the ABL’s current approach reflects pressure from several major banks seeking to preserve a fragile internal balance. Without fully abandoning the line long defended by...
