Investing In Lebanon

There are many advantages of investing in Lebanon and to make it short we will summarize it as follows:

Strategic Location: A strategic geographical location as a transshipment point between a variety of Arab countries and overseas.

Free Market Economy: Lebanon offers the most liberal investment climate in the Middle East and is ranked as one of the freest economy regionally and internationally, with the Government maintaining a non‐interventionist stance toward private investments.

Liberal Financial Environment: Lebanon is known for its liberal financial environment with a free exchange regime.

Investment Incentives: The government of Lebanon offers a series of incentives to national and foreign investors alike as part of its strategy to attract investments to growth promising sectors. A series of exemptions and tax breaks are offered by various ministries and government agencies to support companies in their set-up and operation phases. 

No permission is required to invest in Lebanon. In fact, there is no investment law regulating the process of foreign investment in Lebanon or any legislation requiring foreign investors to obtain approval from the Lebanese authorities before embarking on an investment project in Lebanon.

Banking Secrecy: Lebanon had a long tradition of banking confidentiality and privacy officially codified in the Banking Secrecy Law. In 2002, the traditional banking secrecy law in Lebanon has, been amended to empower the Special Investigation Committee (SIC) to lift bank secrecy and investigate suspicious transactions to ensure compliance with anti-money laundering law.

Non-Discriminatory and Efficient Legal Framework: Lebanon provides Protection of private property and right and equality between the Lebanese and Non Lebanese.

Human resources: Lebanon is known for its young, high skilled, educated and multilingual (Arabic, English and French) workforce. Labor costs are low with a skilled resourceful workforce.

Rebuilding Syria: Lebanon is going to be the hub for re-building Syria, goods movement to the region and is now seen as one of the most secured countries in the region in all means.

Oil and Gas: The future is promising due to many factors such as; the Oil and gas reservoirs found off shore which will affect the economy with a significant boost.

Quality Health Care: Both public and private medical facilities, clinics and pharmacies are available throughout Lebanon, and they are generally well quipped, especially in urban areas, with qualified and professional doctors and English/French speaking staff. Private hospitals are usually very good with the latest facilities and technology.

Rich History and Culture: Throughout history, Lebanon has been a contact center between various cultures and civilizations, rendering it a highly cosmopolitan country .

High Quality of Life: Lebanon offers a wide variety of tourism attractions and activities all year round in natural scenery from beautiful beaches to mountains and valleys. With its ambiance of hospitality and warmth, Lebanon served as the business, cultural, academic and touristic center of the MENA

Lebanon as a hub: The Lebanese Diaspora worldwide are entrepreneurs and business people that proved very successful, in all kinds of sectors and contexts. They are considered "rich, educated and influential. Throughout their history, the Lebanese diaspora used their Lebanese identity to create strong networks to help each other out and many used them to develop a productive and profitable activity though, there remains a great untapped potential for further collaboration and cooperation between the diaspora and the Lebanese in their home-country.

Transparency: Corruption is a factor to be aware of. In Recent years Lebanon has however witnessed the emergence of several new anti-corruption initiatives, raising awareness about the magnitude of the issue in the country. 

Eventually looking at the Syrian crises with business eyes you’ll find some promising opportunities in challenging but emerging sectors. It is worth noting that Lebanon is positioning itself as the coming hub for the re-construction phase in Syria once the war is over, however the world bank´s recent estimation for the re-construction of Syria is estimated at app. 200 billion us dollars. If you wish to do businesses in Syria having a presence in Lebanon and Jordan will be an advantage. However, there is a UN as well as an EU embargo of Syria that companies have to be aware of. Do contact the Embassy or the EU-embassy for more information.

We hope that this short introduction gave you a better understanding of the Lebanese business market.

 Limited Source: IDAL: Invest in Lebanon