The entrance of the main building of the Banque du Liban in Beirut, Jan. 8, 2026. (Credit: PHB / L’Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Banque du Liban (BDL, Central Bank) has ordered commercial banks to begin compiling a centralized registry mapping every depositor and account across Lebanon’s banking system, under Basic Circular No. 174 issued on Aug. 17, as part of preparations for a future deposit-repayment plan.Each depositor will receive a unified identification number (UBID) recognized by all banks, allowing accounts held by the same person across several institutions and currencies to be consolidated, thereby facilitating the identification of the account holder. Banks will be required to submit monthly files distinguishing deposits in “lollars” — dollars trapped in the Lebanese banking system — from those held in “fresh dollars” and Lebanese Lira.According to the circular, the registry will allow BDL to establish “the actual number of depositors and the...
BEIRUT — Banque du Liban (BDL, Central Bank) has ordered commercial banks to begin compiling a centralized registry mapping every depositor and account across Lebanon’s banking system, under Basic Circular No. 174 issued on Aug. 17, as part of preparations for a future deposit-repayment plan.Each depositor will receive a unified identification number (UBID) recognized by all banks, allowing accounts held by the same person across several institutions and currencies to be consolidated, thereby facilitating the identification of the account holder. Banks will be required to submit monthly files distinguishing deposits in “lollars” — dollars trapped in the Lebanese banking system — from those held in “fresh dollars” and Lebanese Lira.According to the circular, the registry will allow BDL to establish “the actual number of...