According to BDL statistics, the average interest rate on Lebanese Pound denominated deposits fell to 1.74% during the month of July, down from 1.84% in the previous month, remaining much lower than the 3.76% level registered a year earlier. Concurrently, the average interest rate on U.S. Dollar denominated deposits sustained its downturn, reaching 0.33% in July down from 0.39% in June compared to 1.49% in July of the previous year. Commercial banks’ discount and lending rate on LBP denominated loans came in lower at 7.26% in July 2021, with that on USD denominated loans falling to 5.99%. Consequently, the average monthly spread between LBP lending and deposit rates stood at 582 basis points, while that between USD lending and deposit rates reached 618 bps.