Jaber says reform, trust key to Lebanon’s economic recovery
Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said regional tensions were placing additional pressure on Lebanon’s economy, but stressed that reform and restoring confidence were essential to reconstruction and renewed growth.
Speaking at a dialogue hosted by the Makassed Alumni Association in Beirut, Jaber said an agreement with the International Monetary Fund would signal that Lebanon was pursuing a credible recovery path and could help unlock international support, investment and reconstruction funding.
He said economic recovery also required restructuring the banking sector, protecting depositors’ rights and restoring banks’ role in financing investment and production.
Jaber added that the Finance Ministry was expanding its digital transformation program to simplify procedures, reduce bureaucracy, strengthen transparency and improve public services.
He said Lebanon still possessed major strengths, including its human capital, private sector, diaspora and ties with Arab countries, particularly Gulf states, but warned that recovery depended on rebuilding trust in state institutions and the financial system.
