Skip to main content

Dollar shortage crisis in Lebanon spills into Syria

The Syrian pound's value plummeted against the US dollar after the Lebanese pound depreciated.
Women use ATMs at Blom bank in Beirut, Lebanon November 1, 2019. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC1F45458210
Read in 

BEIRUT — An economic and financial crisis looms over Lebanon, the third-highest indebted country in the world in terms of debt-to-gross domestic product ratio, which stood at 151% in 2018.

“Given the large public debt … [Lebanon's] interest payments now exceed 9% of GDP,” the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a July report. The IMF also said, “Deposit growth in 2018 was the lowest since 2005 and the BdL [Bank of Lebanon] reserves have now decreased by around $6 billion since early 2018.”

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.