Intermediary Decision No. 13796 Amending Basic Decision No. 6568 on Exchange Operations at Banks and Financial Institutions

The Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon issued Intermediary Decision No. 13796 to amend Basic Decision No. 6568 regarding exchange operations at banks and financial institutions. The amendment repeals and replaces the fourth paragraph of Article 9 bis, mandating that banks with a short open foreign exchange position must liquidate the excess within a maximum deadline of December 31, 2026. Failure to comply triggers a penalty requiring banks to pay a special Lebanese Lira reserve at the Central Bank equal to three times the excess, calculated using the announced exchange rate on the approved platform for each day of non-compliance after December 31, 2026.

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Circular No. 755

For Banks, Financial Institutions, and Supervised Agents

We enclose a copy of Intermediary Decision No. 13796 dated January 9, 2026 regarding the amendment of Basic Decision No. 6568 dated April 24, 1997 (Exchange Operations at Banks and Financial Institutions) attached to Basic Circular No. 32.

Beirut, January 9, 2026

Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon

Karim Saeed

Intermediary Decision No. 13796

Amending Basic Decision No. 6568 dated April 24, 1997

The Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon, pursuant to the Monetary and Exchange Law, particularly Articles 70 and 174 thereof, and pursuant to Basic Decision No. 6568 dated April 24, 1997 and its amendments regarding exchange operations at banks and financial institutions, and pursuant to the decision of the Central Council of the Central Bank of Lebanon taken in its session held on January 7, 2026, hereby decides as follows:

Article 1: The text of the "Fourth" paragraph of "Article 9 bis" of Basic Decision No. 6568 dated April 24, 1997 is repealed and replaced with the following:

"Fourth: In case the open exchange position is short (Position Open FX Short), the bank is deemed to have exceeded the limit and must liquidate this excess within a period whose maximum deadline is December 31, 2026 under penalty of being required to pay a special reserve in Lebanese Lira at the Central Bank amounting to three times the actual excess on the ratios specified in this "Fourth" paragraph, calculated based on the exchange rate announced on the platform approved by the Central Bank, for one month for each day of excess after december 31, 2026."

Article 2: This decision takes effect upon its issuance.

Article 3: This decision is published in the Official Gazette.

Beirut, January 9, 2026

Governor of the Central Bank of Lebanon

Karim Saeed

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This document amends: Foreign Exchange Operations at Banks and Financial Institutions

Source: Banque du Liban — original document · Summary generated with machine assistance and reviewed before publication; the authoritative text is the regulator's original document. How RegAlert works