According to Banque Du Liban (BDL) statistics, the combined balance sheet of investment banks operating in Lebanon widened by 0.95% (LBP 775.32 billion) during the first four months of 2025 to LBP 82,143 billion, up from LBP 81,368 billion at end of 2024. In details, claims on the non-resident financial sector rose by 42.66% (LBP 2,838.36 billion) to LBP 9,492 billion and were accompanied by a 6.74% (LBP 484.00 billion) increase in the value of fixed assets to LBP 7,668 billion and a 0.71% (LBP 49.82 billion) rise in the value of other assets to LBP 7,025 billion, which altogether outweighed the 8.78% (LBP 1,133.64 billion) drop in the value of the securities portfolio to LBP 11,783 billion, the 5.38% (LBP 869.87 billion) decrease in claims on the private sector (comprising resident and non-resident customers) to LBP 15,308 billion and the 1.89% (LBP 593.79 billion) contraction in cash & deposits with Central Banks to LBP 30,865 billion. On the liabilities side, investment banks’ capital accounts soared by 23.98% (LBP 3,594.59 billion) up until April 2025 to LBP 18,586 billion, and were accompanied by a 9.16% (LBP 747.79 billion) increase in liabilities to the non-resident financial sector to LBP 8,915 billion, and a 51.82% (LBP 395.18 billion) rise in liabilities to the public sector to LBP 1,158 billion, which offset the 8.12% (LBP 3,758.64 billion) drop in private sector deposits (resident and non-resident customers, in addition to the resident financial sector) to LBP 42,540 billion and the 1.83% (LBP 203.60 billion) decrease in other liabilities to LBP 10,944 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 15,306 billion in April 2025 compared to LBP 16,177 billion in December 2024.