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Lebanon’s Mikati Expresses Hope of IMF Accord in Weeks

Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)
Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)
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Lebanon’s Mikati Expresses Hope of IMF Accord in Weeks

Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)
Lebanon's Prime Minister-Designate Najib Mikati speaks after meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon August 16, 2021. (Dalati Nohra)

A delegation from the International Monetary Fund will start talks in Lebanon on March 29, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Saturday, expressing hope of a deal in the coming weeks.

"Next Tuesday they will start their mission in Lebanon," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Doha Forum in Qatar.

"Hopefully ... by the end of two weeks we will see the light," Mikati said.

The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value since 2019, when the financial system collapsed, plunging the majority of Lebanese into poverty, according to UN agencies.

Reforms demanded by donors to provide assistance to Lebanon include steps to tackle widespread corruption, tax dodging and government deficits - the root causes of the meltdown.

"We don't have an option, it is an obligatory path to negotiate with the IMF and to achieve an agreement," he added.

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Saudi Private Sector Exports Financed by Banks Grow 21.1%

The Jeddah Islamic Port west of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Ports Authority)
The Jeddah Islamic Port west of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Ports Authority)
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Saudi Private Sector Exports Financed by Banks Grow 21.1%

The Jeddah Islamic Port west of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Ports Authority)
The Jeddah Islamic Port west of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Ports Authority)

The value of Saudi private sector exports financed by commercial banks through documentary credits (both settled and open) grew by 21.1% year-on-year, reaching SAR 40.4 billion ($10.8 billion) in the third quarter of 2024. This represents an increase of over SAR 7 billion ($1.9 billion) compared to SAR 33.3 billion ($8.9 billion) in the same period in 2023.

According to the Saudi Central Bank’s October statistical bulletin, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) emerged as the leading importer by value, accounting for SAR 26 billion ($7 billion), which represents 64% of total exports. Arab countries followed, importing goods worth SAR 7.7 billion ($2 billion), or 19.1% of the total.

On a quarterly basis, exports financed through documentary credits grew by 35%, rising by more than SAR 10 billion ($2.7 billion) compared to SAR 30 billion ($8 billion) in the second quarter of this year.

The composition of exports showed that “other industrial products” accounted for 79% of the total value of documentary credits, amounting to SAR 31.9 billion ($8.5 billion). Exports of “chemical and plastic materials” made up 19% of the total, valued at SAR 7.6 billion ($2 billion), while “agricultural and livestock products” contributed 2.3%, exceeding SAR 911 million ($243 million).

The Saudi Central Bank’s October bulletin also highlighted a decline in total assets, which stood at SAR 1.8 trillion ($477 billion), down by SAR 80.3 billion ($21.4 billion) compared to September. However, on a year-on-year basis, total assets rose by SAR 27.5 billion ($7.3 billion) compared to October 2023.

The Central Bank’s investments in foreign securities increased by 3% in October, surpassing SAR 1 trillion ($266 billion), compared to SAR 986.8 billion ($262 billion) during the same period last year.

The total reserve assets of the Central Bank grew by 2.19% year-on-year, reaching SAR 1.63 trillion ($433.8 billion) by the end of October, compared to SAR 1.59 trillion ($423 billion) in October 2023. However, reserve assets dropped by 4.7% month-on-month, falling from SAR 1.71 trillion ($455 billion) in September.

Saudi Arabia’s reserve assets include investments in foreign securities, foreign currency deposits, reserves with the International Monetary Fund, Special Drawing Rights, and monetary gold.