October 16, 2026
The Lebanese delegation, headed by Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, continues its meetings on the fifth day of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bangkok. The talks focused on completing financial and banking reforms, mobilizing support for reconstruction, and strengthening Lebanon’s position in regional connectivity projects. Jaber stressed that the government is continuing on the path of reform despite the repercussions of the regional conflict, economic fragility and difficult humanitarian conditions, calling for making connectivity in the fields of energy, transport and trade a priority in the World Bank’s programs for the region.
During the meeting of Arab governors with the President of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, Jaber stressed the government’s commitment to addressing the banking crisis in accordance with international standards and adopting strict financial discipline. He presented the most prominent stages of the reform path, noting that amending the bank reform law is expected to be completed within days, the existence of a draft financial gap law in the House of Representatives, and the referral of the draft budget within the constitutional deadline. It also discussed reforming public institutions, transforming them into companies and subjecting them to audit, digitizing the Ministry of Finance’s services and making electronic payment available, and measures aimed at removing Lebanon from the gray list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Jaber appreciated the World Bank’s support for Lebanon, especially the Reconstruction Fund that was launched with an initial loan of $250 million, calling for regional connectivity projects to be given priority in the group’s programs, and pointing to the ability of Lebanese ports to be a gateway to the region. The joint statement by the Arab governors focused on four priorities: recovery and reconstruction, regional connectivity, mobilizing private capital through guarantees and financing in local currency, and enhancing the representation of Arab talents in leadership positions within the group.
For his part, Banga stressed that Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are facing an opportunity that has not been available for many years, stressing the Bank’s commitment to supporting these countries in the areas of regional connectivity and the private sector, and calling for focusing on a limited number of clear priorities within the national partnership frameworks to ensure achieving a tangible impact. In addition to Jaber, the Minister of Economy and Trade, Amer Al-Bassat, the Director General of Public Finance, George Maarawi, and the advisors to the Minister of Finance, Zeina Qassem and Claudine Karaki, participated in the meeting.
In a meeting with the British Secretary of State for International Development, Kirsty McNeil, and the accompanying delegation, Jaber discussed ways to support reconstruction efforts and the contribution of donor countries to increasing the size of the fund from $250 million to $1 billion. He presented the government’s reform priorities, including transforming the electricity, airport and communications sectors into companies and subjecting them to audit by international companies, in addition to strengthening British cooperation in the field of digital transformation. McNeil praised the reform efforts, stressing her country’s readiness to support Lebanon, while inviting her to visit Beirut.
For his part, Minister Amer Al-Bassat presented three initiatives, including a program to link Lebanese companies with institutional investors, a trust fund to support small and medium enterprises in cooperation with the World Bank, and providing technical support to invest untapped public assets, and it was agreed to send a concept note regarding them. The meeting was also attended by the Director General of Public Finance, George Maarawi, and Minister Jaber’s advisors, Zeina Qasim and Claudine Karaki.
