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Lebanon’s Banking Crisis

When one thinks about Lebanon’s banking crisis it would be too easy to associate it with the financial crisis that the country is enduring that has seen the currency collapse and poverty rates soar. People would imagine the crisis is centred around the Ponzi like scheme that has slashed Lebanon’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 58.1% since 2019, plummeting to an estimated $21.8bn in 2021 and annual inflation has been above 100% for the past 26 months in a row.
Yet what is perhaps the world’s worst modern economic crisis is showing itself in a myriad of different ways in the country. One of the most bizarre is bank robbery seemingly becoming legal. Such a sentence needs lots of caveats. What has happened in recent months is desperate Lebanese resorting to desperate means to withdraw their own money from Lebanese banks who may be essentially bankrupt themselves.
The cratering of the economy and the national currency has seen banks limit how much people can withdraw. Since 2019 Banks have been applying random caps on weekly cash withdrawals, varying between $100 to $500. Last week Lebanese unanimously decided to close their doors to clients indefinitely after a series of holdups by depositors, something they did for a week in September under similar circumstances. A particularly high-profile example of this was when Sali Hafez walked into a Beirut bank with a fake pistol and demanded a teller hand over $12,000. Not long after, the novice bank robber reportedly walked from a court to the acclaim of supporters and even to smiles of apparent admiration from court officials and police.
In the past two months alone, more than a dozen bank “robberies” have taken place across the country. Some have extracted their savings through different means, such as organising sit ins linked specifically to money needed to pay for medical treatment. IMF negotiations around a ‘bail out’ for the country that would reset its economy are stalled. The reforms and restructures needed perhaps are too radical for a weak Lebanese government to countenance. Caught between the devil of the continuing economic collapse and the deep blue sea as to the bitter medicine that an IMF deal would entail, ordinary Lebanese are struggling to keep themselves afloat.
Public services have unsurprisingly ground to a halt and the start of the school year for Lebanon’s children has been delayed by striking teachers who argue they can barely afford to pay to get to work such are the economic conditions. Several incidents of boatloads of Lebanese sinking whilst trying to flee the country have been recorded and the latest grim news is that cases of cholera have been reported in the country for the first time in two decades. Wider concerns are that sewage treatment will worsen leading to more waterborne diseases and patients flocked to a healthcare system that already can’t cope.
Yet Lebanon’s crisis is almost too insidious and expensive to warrant the attention given to other urgent issues on the agenda of a busy and distracted world. Regional powers such as Syria and Saudi Arabia have traditionally played major roles in the country but are distracted by civil war and a radically different domestic agenda respectively. The Ukraine war is dominating the bandwidth of Europe and the US, whilst the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, another slow burn issue, is barely getting a look in.
One of the few things Lebanon still has remaining is its stability. Unlike the civil war years, the economic crisis is so vast to be universally hurting most of the population in the same way. There is perhaps a solidarity in this collective tragedy that may go to explain the leniency given to the bank robbers who are trying so hard to get access to their own money. However, if the rule of law becomes more theoretical than a lived reality, then notions of reaching an IMF deal that could be operationalised would seem more unlikely than ever.
Meanwhile Lebanon’s search for a new President continues as the current incumbent, Michel Aoun, nears the end of his term. Could new leadership from this office be a catalyst that can redress the decline and turn the country in a different direction? Cynics would justifiably argue that the track record of much of the country’s leadership shows evidence of more narrow-minded vision than the kind of character and skillset needed to chart the turbulent waters the country is in. Yet, there is always hope.
BY: James Denselow
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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