According to Banque Du Liban (BDL) statistics, the combined balance sheet of investment banks operating in Lebanon narrowed by 1.36% (LBP 1,253.77 billion) during the first two months of 2026 to LBP 90,901 billion, down from LBP 92,155 billion at end of 2025. In details, claims on the non-resident financial sector dropped by 25.27% (LBP 2,083.29 billion) to LBP 6,162 billion and was accompanied by the 1.52% (LBP 546.29 billion) decrease in cash and deposits with Central Banks to LBP 35,491 billion, and the 1.49% (LBP 156.95 billion) drop in the value of the securities portfolio to LBP 10,358 billion, which together outweighed the 7.48% (1,157.61 billon) rise in claims on the private sector to LBP 16,642 billion, the 4.15% (LBP 325.87 billion) increase in the value of other assets to LBP 8,172 billion, and the 0.34% (LBP 47.59 billion) rise in the value of fixed assets to LBP 14,069 billion among others. On the liabilities side, investment banks’ liabilities to the non-resident financial sector decreased by 8.12% (LBP 833.20 billion) up until February 2026 to LBP 9,424 billion, coupled with the 1.81% (777.83 billion) drop in private sector deposits (resident and non-resident deposits in addition to resident financial sector deposits) to LBP 42,261 billion, and the 1.89% (LBP 474.73 billion) decrease in capital accounts to LBP 24,668 billion have totally eroded the 7.69% (LBP 1,020.99 billion) rise in other liabilities to LBP 14,291 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 16,637 billion in February 2026 compared to LBP 15,481 billion in December 2025 and LBP 14,168 billion in February 2025.