Fresh USD Checks Reached 65,010 Checks Valued at $871.2M by November 2025
According to the data published by the Association of Lebanese Banks’ (ABL), the total number of cleared checks in the Lebanese financial system decreased remarkably by 42.62% year-over-year (YoY) to 99,704 checks by November 2025. Similarly, the cumulative value of cleared checks in local currency decreased by 21.52% YoY to LBP 56.8B by November 2025. Likewise, the cumulative value of cleared checks in foreign currency dropped by 49.51% year-over-year (YoY) to reach $615M by November 2025.
Moreover, the volumes of cleared checks in Lebanese Pounds and foreign currencies witnessed substantial yearly drop of 40.33% and 67.39% respectively to settle at 94,920 and 4,784 checks, by November 2025. Accordingly, the dollarization rate of checks in terms of volume fell from 8.44% in November 2024 to 4.80% in November 2025.
Notably, the number of returned checks was dropped substantially by 47.29% YoY to stand at 516 checks by November 2025. Moreover, the value of returned checks in local currency decreased by 17.00% YOY to record LBP 498B, however, the value of returned checks in foreign currency increased significantly by 40.45% YOY to record $95.47M in November 2025.
Banque du Liban (BDL) recently issued Circular 165, which permits depositors to make payments by check starting June 1st, 2023, as long as their accounts are in either fresh US dollars or Lebanese lira. To support this initiative, BDL has introduced a new clearing system, distinct from the one dedicated to pre-crisis deposits. This circular serves a dual purpose: it encourages customers to open new accounts in both Lebanese pounds and US dollars, while also aiming to decrease the country’s dependence on cash and stimulate economic recovery. As such, in November 2025, the cumulative number of checks issued from fresh accounts reached 87,960, of which 65,010 checks are in USD currency amounting $871.2M and 22,950 checks are in LBP currency amounting LBP 38,458B. On a monthly basis, the number of fresh cleared checks in both currencies in November 2025 was 10,713 checks.
Cleared Checks by November 2025 (in 000s)
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