Director : Mohsen Berri

The unit’s mission is to raise awareness of the corporate governance culture and to enhance and advance its concept in the financial and banking sectors through promoting transparency and the development of effective monitoring and controls. The unit advocates international best practices and proposes regulations, policies and systems aiming at developing corporate governance frameworks at banks and financial institutions, and follows their sound implementation in these sectors.

The Compliance Unit at Banque du Liban (BDL) is an independent administrative unit that reports directly to the Governor. Its primary role is to monitor and ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations by BDL departments and banks and financial institutions supervised by BDL. It also proposes measures to mitigate risks related to non-compliance, safeguarding the reputation of BDL and the banking sector. The Compliance Unit monitors international best practices in compliance, represents BDL at local and international compliance conferences, coordinates with regulatory bodies, such as the Banking Control Commission of Lebanon (BCCL) and the Special Investigation Commission (SIC) and proposes regulatory amendments and recommendations.

 

The Compliance Unit consists oof three main sections :

 

BDL Compiance Section:

•  Monitors BDL's financial operations, including clearing, settlements, and bank transfers.
•  Identifies and assesses potential non-compliance cases, particularly in AML/CFT regulations.
•  Ensures corrective measures are implemented and promptly reports significant issues to the Governor.
•  Evaluates and recommends updates to BDL’s compliance policies and procedures.
•  Develops compliance-related training for BDL employees.

 

BDL-supervised entities Compliance Section:

• Promotes a culture of compliance through training sessions aligned with international standards.
• Maintains communication with compliance departments of supervised entities.
• Evaluates the compliance frameworks of supervised entities.
• Conducts visits and inspections when requested by the Governor.

 

Anti-Bribery and Corruption Compliance Section:

• Develops and oversees BDL’s anti-bribery and corruption policies.
• Assesses corruption risks related to BDL’s services and high-risk clients.
• Monitors accounts open at BDL for potential corruption and bribery exposure.
• Investigates cases of corruption reported in the media or by official sources.
• Conducts anti-corruption training and promotes integrity within BDL.

Interim Director: Joseph Assaf

 

Established in 2007, the Executive Office reports directly to the Governor.

It is entrusted with many functions, among which the following:

To manage and follow up the organizational and reform projects that fall within the BDL strategic orientation and the programs approved by the Governor.

To give its opinion concerning these projects and to submit the relevant proposals. 

To coordinate with the concerned departments, units and branches, in order to implement these projects within the specified time limits. 

To identify the problems that hinder the projects’ implementation and to collect the relevant information and data for submission to the Governor.

To attend the meetings that concern the projects’ implementation and to follow up the implementation of the decisions taken.

To verify the proper implementation of the administrative memos relating to these projects, in coordination with both the Audit and Inspection Department and the Organization and Development Department.

To submit to the Governor periodic reports on the projects’ progress.

To follow up the implementation of BDL Intermediate Circular No 331 issued in August 2013, with a view to boost the Lebanese economy by granting facilities to banks that support Startups and Knowledge Economy, and to study all related files referred by the Governor. 

To handle all public relations on the local and international levels, as requested by the Governor.

To manage and consolidate the data of both the Investment Committee and the Open Market Committee.

To examine thoroughly the employees’ loan requests referred by the Mini Bank, then to submit the relevant reports to the Governor.

To review employees’ training needs and the reports sent by the Training Department concerning any training, and to submit the relevant proposals to the Governor. 

To follow up personal requests submitted by BDL employees to the Governor. 

To submit proposals for the development of BDL Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), through the organization of social projects and events and the launching of related initiatives.

To develop solutions, through the Executive Office Web Platform (EOWP), in order to run the BDL information and administrative work. These solutions include: the latest news (BDL Governor’s statements, press articles, and worldwide economic and financial news); BDL administrative texts (all BDL decisions, Circulars, and administrative memos, etc.); all incoming and outgoing correspondence; all training information (internal and external sessions provided to BDL employees, the participation modalities, and attendants’ reports); CPI data collector; administrative software for the Capital Markets Authority etc.

To carry out any other specific task, upon the Governor’s request.

Director : Wael Hamdan

 

The Financing Unit is responsible for studying applications submitted by banks, financial institutions and leasing companies related to the approval of the Central Bank to subsidize interest on loans extended to productive economic sectors. In addition, the Financing Unit is also in charge of reviewing applications for granting limit facilities for exemptions from the required reserve and decreases from the time deposits subject to the required reserve presented by commercial banks.

It also examines and negotiates financing programs presented by international institutions and coordinates with banks and other intermediary financial institutions, in this regard.

 

The unit is divided into 3 divisions:

• Interest Rate Subsidy: 
• Financing Programs:
• Facilities in Reserve Requirement:

 

The Financing Unit coordinates with the Legal, Statistics and Banks departments in addition to the Banking Control Commission. Also the unit closely works with Kafalat, and international financial institutions such as EIB, AFD, IFC, and the World Bank. 

 

Subsidy

With the aim of stimulating lending and encouraging economic growth, the Lebanese Republic, through BDL, offers interest rates subsidies on loans granted to productive sectors, by banks, financial institutions and leasing companies in order reduce the cost of financing on SMEs and startups. Eligible Loans can be extended in Lebanese pounds or in foreign currencies and must be entirely invested in sectors such as agriculture, tourism, industry, handicrafts and information technology. 

 

Related circulars 

Basic: 80

Intermediary: 286, 195, 187, 149, 135, 121, 57

 

Facilities in Reserve Requirement

One of the objectives of BDL is to facilitate financing investments in specific economic sectors. In order to encourage commercial banks to enhance their medium and long term lending to SMEs, startups and individuals, BDL offers facilities in reserve requirements whenever these banks extend loans, in Lebanese pounds or in foreign currencies, to specific sectors such as productive, housing, education, environment and others. This will help reduce the cost of interest rates on the final beneficiary. 

 

Related circulars 

Basic: 84

Intermediary: 306, 291, 287, 278, 246, 243, 236, 235, 231, 227, 213, 210, 199, 198, 197, 191, 186, 185, 180, 167, 147, 139, 134, 68, 58, 27, 25

Director : Eli Abi Saber

 

This unit is responsible for preparing a budget draft of the physical fixed assets according to the needs of each BDL department and branch, as well as, the banking control commission and the special investigation commission.

 

• Receiving all departments and branches purchase requisitions.
• Following-up the requisites for assets as per the governor demand.
• Inviting tender offers for all kind of purchases (including maintenance and repair services contracts).
• Issuing a purchase order and, if necessity be, a purchasing contract in collaboration with the legal department.

Director : Joseph Assaf

 

The unit is responsible for providing retail banking services to BDL employees such as:

• Managing accounts and their related operations and transactions: banking accounts and domiciliation accounts...
• Receiving Loans’ applications and doing the necessary studies and follow-up: housing loans, car loans and personal loans…
• Issuing payment Cards: debit and credit cards.
• Managing Insurance portfolio: life insurance and all-risks insurance related to loans granted…
• Developing other types of banking services.    

Director: Rodolphe Mouci

 

The Unit monitors the stability of the overall financial sector, and in particular the banking sector, on an ongoing basis from a macro-prudential forward-looking perspective aiming at mitigating the likelihood of systemic risk through timely identification of potential threats to financial stability.

 

Within this context, the Unit operates a comprehensive Early Warning System and consolidates data from a multitude of sources for further analysis and reporting purposes, based on which policy recommendations are made to the Governor.

Head : Halim Berti

The PR&Communications Unit reports directly to the Governor. It is entrusted with many tasks, mainly the following:

 

• To manage the relationship with the media and the local and international press, and any other local and international media activities, upon the Governor’s request.
• To organize conferences and seminars inside and outside Banque du Liban (BDL), upon the Governor’s request. 
• To set up and manage BDL pages on Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube).
• To distribute BDL publications (memos, brochures, articles, etc.) to targeted media.
• To maintain and update information on BDL website.
• To post daily press excerpts, as well as any news and articles related to the banking and financial sector and to Banque du Liban on BDL official website, making sure that all users may access the full texts.
• To manage and display all BDL recent activities on the electronic screens located in BDL different buildings.
• To collaborate with other departments to ensure that they continuously update the information posted on BDL website.
• To collaborate with the press and the media to publish BDL ads, upon the Governor’s request.

You may contact the unit at the following email address:  media at bdl.gov.lb

Head : Abbas Awada