At the end of April, Lebanon held $90 billion in private sector deposits in foreign currencies.

The Association of Lebanese Banks recently published its monthly report on economic, financial, and banking developments for April 2024. According to the report, public finances in Lebanon showed a surplus of 611 billion pounds in December 2021, following a surplus of 168 billion pounds in the previous month. This marked a significant improvement from the deficit of 45 billion pounds recorded in December 2020.

By the end of January 2023, the public debt denominated in Lebanese pounds had increased by 0.7% to 91,795 billion pounds compared to the previous month. Private sector deposits in Lebanese pounds with banks also saw an increase, reaching 56,213 billion pounds by the end of April 2024, up from 54,161 billion pounds in March 2024 and 52,050 billion pounds in December 2023.

In contrast, private sector deposits in foreign currencies at banks experienced a slight decline, totaling approximately $90.05 billion at the end of April 2024. This was down from $90.10 billion in March 2024 and $91.28 billion in December 2023. Similarly, loans to the private sector in Lebanese pounds decreased to 10,356 billion pounds by the end of April 2024, compared to 10,754 billion pounds in March 2024 and 11,388 billion pounds in December 2023.

Overall, there has been a noticeable downward trend in loans to the private sector since the onset of the crisis, although occasional increases occur in response to heightened demand for operational funding or payment obligations in the local currency.