November 7, 2026
The phenomenon of multiple dollar exchange rates has emerged recently in the Lebanese market, despite the officially stable circulating price at the level of 89,500 Lebanese pounds, amid increasing questions about the reasons for this disparity in the commercial and consumer sectors, the parties determining it, and the extent to which it is subject to oversight.
In this context, the price of the dollar used to calculate fuel prices, specifically gasoline, is 89,700 Lebanese pounds, which is the price on which the price tables issued by the Ministry of Energy and Water are based.
On the other hand, some stores and commercial institutions adopt varying exchange rates. Some stores charge it at 89,000 liras, while others charge it at 89,300 liras, while the price in other commercial establishments reaches 90,000 Lebanese liras.
This disparity reflects the absence of a unified price approved in commercial transactions, which raises questions about the standards upon which institutions rely in determining exchange rates, especially since these differences, although they appear limited, are directly reflected in the final prices of goods and products that the consumer pays for in Lebanese pounds.
Also, the multiplicity of prices raises question marks about the role of the competent regulatory authorities in following up on pricing mechanisms, verifying the extent of institutions’ compliance with the applicable rules, and preventing any exploitation of exchange rate differences at the expense of consumers.
What is noteworthy is that these multiple prices do not necessarily mean that there is an actual change in the price of the dollar in the market, as much as they reveal the difference in the mechanisms for calculating it between different sectors and commercial institutions.
