Lebanon’s Balance of Payments (BoP) revealed a deficit of $644.2M in the first quarter of 2016, compared to a higher deficit of $850.2M in the same period last year. In spite of the relative improvement, the overall weakening in European and regional economies might be still weighing on the remittances and Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) to Lebanon.
Up until March, Net Foreign Assets (NFA) of the Central Bank (BDL) dropped by $407.1M, while that of commercial banks fell by $237.1M.
In March alone, Lebanon’s BoP also registered a deficit of $287.9M, compared to a surplus of $362.6M in February 2016. NFAs of BDL decreased by $613.6M and that of commercial banks inched up by $325.7M, from the prior month.
Balance of Payments in Q1 ($M)
Source: Banque du Liban