Swiss bank closes its office in Lebanon due to economic crisis

Short Url
Updated 29 September 2021
Follow

Swiss bank closes its office in Lebanon due to economic crisis

RIYADH: Swiss bank Julius Baer will close its office in Beirut, due to the ongoing economic crisis affecting the country, according to information obtained by Asharq Business.

Closing Julius Baer’s office in the Lebanese capital is a “strategic commercial decision that takes into account the difficult conditions that Lebanon is witnessing,” the bank disclosed in an email, stressing that the decision was not taken to save costs.

The Swiss bank stressed that this step will not have any impact on its existing customers, as the bank will continue to serve them and cover the Lebanese market, but without a direct presence.

The bank will continue to serve its clients and manage their financial arrangements from its headquarters in Zurich.

All employees in the Lebanon office will be transferred to Switzerland, according to Asharq, and clients must sign a document approving the transfer of their operations from Beirut to Zurich.

Despite the current situation in Lebanon, the ancient Swiss bank, founded in 1890, emphasized the importance of the Mediterranean country as a profitable market.


Closing Bell: Saudi Arabia’s main index closes in red at 10,364 

Updated 04 January 2026
Follow

Closing Bell: Saudi Arabia’s main index closes in red at 10,364 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index closed lower on Sunday, shedding 185.05 points, or 1.75 percent, to end the session at 10,364.03. 

Total trading turnover on the benchmark index stood at SR2.55 billion ($680 million), with 20 stocks advancing and 237 declining. 

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also retreated, falling 0.63 percent, or 147.19 points, to close at 23,371.82. 

The MSCI Tadawul Index slipped 1.71 percent to 1,369.56. 

Saudi Industrial Export Co. was the top gainer on the main market, with its share price jumping 9.87 percent to SR2.56. 

Shares of Naqi Water Co. rose 2.53 percent to SR58.80, while Shatirah House Restaurant Co. advanced 2.18 percent to SR9.39. 

On the downside, Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. posted the steepest decline, with its share price falling 4.61 percent to SR10.14. 

On the announcements front, Scientific & Medical Equipment House Co. said it had been awarded a contract valued at SR260.98 million by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development to supply uncooked food materials and catering items to beneficiaries at the ministry’s residential branches across the Kingdom.  

The project scope also includes providing cooked meals to selected anti-begging offices over a 24-month period, according to a Tadawul statement. The company added that the financial impact of the contract will begin in the fourth quarter of this year. 

It said further developments would be disclosed in due course after all relevant parties sign the final contract and a copy is received. 

Shares of Scientific & Medical Equipment House Co. edged up 0.31 percent to SR32.44. 

Separately, Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. and its subsidiaries signed an agreement with Oloof Development Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Jazan Municipality, to lease a strategic land plot in Jazan City for SR217.99 million. 

According to a Tadawul statement, the land, which spans 34,581 sq. meters, will be used to develop an integrated healthcare facility under a 50-year lease. 

The company said the financial impact of the agreement is expected to begin once the medical facility is completed and becomes operational. 

Shares of Dr. Soliman Abdel Kader Fakeeh Hospital Co. fell 1.92 percent to SR33.74.