According to Banque Du Liban (BDL) statistics, the combined balance sheet of investment banks operating in Lebanon widened by 0.30% (LBP 277.59 billion) at end of January 2026 to LBP 92,432 billion, up from LBP 92,155 billion at end of 2025. In details, claims on the private sector rose by 5.68% (LBP 879.94 billion) to LBP 16,365 billion and was accompanied by some 0.67% (LBP 241.88 billion) increase in cash and deposits with Central Banks to LBP 36,279 billion, and some 2.15% (LBP 168.41 billion) rise in the value of other assets to LBP 8,015 billion among others, which together outweighed the 12.11% (LBP 998.73 billion) drop in claims on the non-resident financial sector to LBP 7,247 billion and the 0.20% (LBP 20.58 billion) decrease in the value of the securities portfolio to LBP 10,495 billion. On the liabilities side, investment banks’ other liabilities rose by 4.51% (LBP 598.26 billion) at end of January 2026 to LBP 13,868 billion, and were accompanied by some 1.10% (474.56 billion) increase in private sector deposits (resident and non-resident deposits in addition to resident financial sector deposits) to LBP 43,513 billion, and some 0.66% (LBP 166.10 billion) rise in capital accounts to LBP 25,309 billion, which eroded the 6.53% (LBP 669.32 billion) decrease in liabilities to the non-resident financial sector to LBP 9,588 billion, and the 65.42% (LBP 292.02 billion) drop in liabilities to the public sector to LBP 154 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 16,360 billion in January 2026 compared to LBP 15,481 billion in December 2025 and LBP 15,303 billion in January 2025.