Regulatory Alerts2026-05-21 | 13823ATMs and Credit and Debit Cards
The Central Bank of Lebanon issued Decision No. 13823 to amend Basic Decision No. 7299, mandating that licensed banks and financial institutions exclusively obtain a license to provide card issuance and acquiring services. The regulation requires entities to allocate 55 billion Lebanese Lira for combined services or 50 billion for issuance-only, deposit a 15% cash reserve at the Central Bank, maintain adequate liquidity with a 20% precautionary margin, and comply with CMS, PCI DSS, international network standards, and AML/CFT procedures. Banks must pay annual fees of up to 3 billion Lira, with existing providers granted until June 30, 2026, to fulfill licensing, notification, fee payment, and cash deposit obligations.
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