Lebanese pound hits record low of more than 24,000 per U.S. dollar

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Updated 25 November 2021
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Lebanese pound hits record low of more than 24,000 per U.S. dollar

  • The crisis is widely blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by political elites

Lebanon's currency slid to a new low against the U.S. dollar on Thursday amid government paralysis as the country's financial meltdown deepens.

Several Beirut currency exchangers said the Lebanese pound was trading at around 24,200 per dollar, exceeding an all-time low of about 24,000 reached in July.

The currency has now lost more than 93% of its value since summer 2019, when it began to split from the rate of 1,500 pounds per dollar at which it had been pegged since 1997.

Lebanon is in the throes of an economic meltdown that the World Bank has called one of the worst depressions of modern history.

The crisis is widely blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by political elites.

Lebanon formed a new government in September headed by veteran politician Najib Mikati with the aim of negotiating an International Monetary Fund programme seen as key to unlocking international aid to stem the crisis.

However, it has not met in more than 40 days - an absence initiated by a push by Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies to remove the judge investigating the August 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 215 people and caused billions of dollars in damage.


Saudi Export-Import Bank signs reinsurance agreement with the German Export Credit Agency

Updated 11 sec ago
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Saudi Export-Import Bank signs reinsurance agreement with the German Export Credit Agency

RIYADH: The Saudi Export-Import Bank has signed a reinsurance agreement with Germany’s official Export Credit Agency, managed by Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft, with the aim of enhancing credit risk insurance coverage to meet the needs of local exporters of capital goods and production inputs from the Federal Republic of Germany.

This agreement is part of the bank’s efforts to strengthen partnerships with international export credit agencies, ensuring the safe and sustainable flow of essential raw materials and capital goods, and enhancing the efficiency of export activities by local enterprises, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

The agreement was signed by Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khalb, CEO of the Saudi Export-Import Bank, and Edna Schone, board member of Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft and head of its Export Credit Agency.

Al-Khalb stated that the reinsurance agreement with ECA represents an important step in expanding credit risk management tools and enabling local exporters to obtain the production inputs and capital goods necessary to grow their businesses with greater confidence.

He noted that cooperation with international export credit agencies reflects the bank’s commitment to developing advanced insurance solutions that contribute to the growth of the Kingdom’s foreign trade, as part of its pivotal role in strengthening the non-oil national economy.

Through this agreement, the Saudi Export-Import Bank continues to support the growth of Saudi non-oil exports and expand its network of international partnerships, in alignment with the goals of Vision 2030 to diversify the national economy and enhance the Kingdom’s position in global trade.