According to Banque Du Liban statistics, opened letters of credit (L/Cs), a measurement tool for trade activity, rose by 22.71% during the month of January 2026 to reach LBP 1,487.80 billion ($16.62 million), up from LBP 1,212.50 billion a month earlier. Similarly, on an annual basis, the face value of opened L/Cs came in nearly 6-times larger than the LBP 248.70 billion reading reported in January 2025.

Documentary L/Cs opened to finance imports activities reached LBP 298.40 billion ($3.33 million) in January 2026, compared to LBP 179.10 billion in the same month in 2025. Similarly, utilized credits for imports came in higher at LBP 962.30 billion ($10.75 million) with inward bills for collection, another documentary credit form of financing (backed by invoices), rising by 58.90% to LBP 2,272.20 billion ($25.39 million) in January of the current year, from LBP 1,430.00 billion in the same month of the previous year.

In a related note, documentary L/Cs opened to finance exports activities rose to LBP 1,189.40 billion ($13.29 million) in January 2026, up from LBP 69.60 billion in the same month in 2025. Concurrently, utilized credits to finance exports increased to LBP 290.80 billion ($3.25 million; 24.45% of opened L/Cs for exports). In parallel, the value of outward bills rose to LBP 3,266.90 billion ($36.50 million) in January, while outstanding bills for collection sank to LBP 9,084.70 billion ($101.51 million), from LBP 10,811.70 billion in the first month of 2025.