According to Banque Du Liban (BDL) statistics, the combined balance sheet of investment banks operating in Lebanon widened by 2.64% during the first two months of 2025 to LBP 83,519 billion, up from LBP 81,368 billion at end of 2024. In details, cash & deposits with Central Banks rose by 6.50% to LBP 33,504 billion and were accompanied by a 26.13% increase in claims on the non-resident financial sector to LBP 8,393 billion and a 4.87% rise in the value of other assets to LBP 7,315 billion, which altogether outweighed the 12.42% drop in claims on the private sector (comprising resident and non-resident customers) to LBP 14,169 billion and the 0.27% contraction in the value of the securities portfolio to LBP 12,881 billion. On the liabilities side, investment banks’ capital accounts soared by 23.88% up until February 2025 to LBP 18,571 billion, coupled with a 75.55% increase in liabilities to the public sector to LBP 1,339 billion, and a 3.82% rise in the value of other liabilities to LBP 11,574 billion, which offset the 5.22% drop in private sector deposits (resident and non-resident customers, in addition to the resident financial sector) to LBP 43,883 billion.

Abiding by legislative decree number 50 and subsequent BDL circulars, investment banks operating in Lebanon have managed over the last couple of years to increase their lending activity to the private sector while reducing their exposure to the public sector. As a result, the surplus, representing the difference between loans to the private sector and claims on the public sector, reached LBP 14,168 billion in February 2025 compared to LBP 16,177 billion in December 2024.