Regulatory Alerts2026-05-21 | 13820Central Bank of Lebanon Circular No. 765 on Microloans
The Central Bank of Lebanon issued Circular No. 765 and Decision No. 13820 to amend Article 7 of Basic Decision No. 8779 (Microloans), granting microfinance institutions a maximum six-month window to apply for financial institution status under Basic Decision No. 13819 and submit required documentation, including a business plan. Upon Central Bank approval, institutions must fully comply with the Basic Decision within six months, with the Central Council authorized to grant extensions in exceptional cases. If these deadlines expire without listing on the financial institutions register, microfinance institutions lose their lending rights and face enforcement actions under Articles 200 of the Monetary and Exchange Law and 770 of the Penal Code.