LeBusiness — Lebanon Business News & Market Insights
May El Hachem Built askLex to Make Lebanese Law Easier to Navigate
askLex is an AI legal app built for Lebanon, with content reviewed by qualified lawyers. Users can get quick legal answers, analyze contracts, and connect with lawyers, notaries, and legal translators. It was founded by Lebanese lawyer May El Hachem and drew more than 200 registered users within three weeks of launch.
The AI Integration Crisis: Why Automating Chaos Only Creates Faster Chaos
Deploying AI on top of broken workflows accelerates existing problems instead of fixing them. The failures of Zillow's home-buying algorithm, Klarna's customer service automation, and Ford's factory AI show where automation breaks down. The fix is to optimise processes first, set clear automation boundaries, and keep humans in the loop.
The Lebanese Founder Behind Dubai's Best-Known Cafe Interiors
The Bowery Company, founded in Dubai in 2014 by former banker Christiane Nasr, has become the GCC's leading curator of Scandinavian design. The Lebanese entrepreneur's firm has furnished more than 100 cafes across the UAE and Saudi Arabia and recently secured a major Saudi government project tied to Vision 2030.
Slideit Hit 3,500 Users Reviving Buy Now Pay Later in Lebanon
Slideit is a Beirut fintech offering buy now, pay later at checkout in a country where credit cards and consumer lending collapsed. Founded in 2025 by Bahaa Daouk, it has signed up 3,500 users with no paid marketing and partnered with retailers including Khoury Home. Its own scoring engine, Credit Brain, underwrites shoppers in a market with no credit bureau.
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LAU Study Ties NSSF Coverage to a 24% Higher Chance of Wage Jobs
Based on 2019 national labor data, the study links public insurance to formal jobs and leaves informal workers exposed.
A new study from the Lebanese American University examines how social security coverage relates to the type of work Lebanese people hold. Drawing on 2019 national labor data, it finds that National Social Security Fund enrollment is closely tied to wage employment, while the self-employed and small-firm workers often fall outside formal protection.
The Revive Club Opens a 4,000 sqm Complex on Beirut's Waterfront
Opening this month, the seaside venue pairs gyms and courts with recovery, dining, and a Wael Arakji academy.
The Revive Club, a 4,000 square meter sports and wellness complex, is opening this month on Beirut's Waterfront. The venue combines training floors, sports courts, a basketball academy tied to Wael Arakji, recovery services, and dining. Its first 100 members receive Founding Member status with lifetime benefits.
The End of Traditional Search: Navigating the Shift from SEO to GEO and AIO.
Optimise your brand for AI answer engines, LLMs, and conversational search before your organic traffic disappears.
Search Engine Optimisation is giving way to Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and AI Optimisation (AIO) as AI answer engines replace traditional search. Large language models now retrieve and synthesise information into a single answer, and data shows the rapid rise of zero-click search. Brands can take clear steps to stay visible and cited inside AI-generated answers.
Cedar Waves Launches Weekend Beirut to Batroun Ferry Route
The scenic weekend service starts July 19, running Saturdays and Sundays between Zaituna Bay and Batroun Port.
Ferry operator Cedar Waves is opening a domestic weekend route between Beirut and Batroun, with the first sailing set for July 19. The one-hour ride runs every Saturday and Sunday, with one-way tickets at $20 and round-trips at $40.
Zaarour Club is Running a Four Day Summer Event
Zaarour Vibes runs July 16 to 19 with live bands, food outlets, and kids shows at the mountain resort's lake.
Zaarour Club is running a four day summer event called Zaarour Vibes at its lake from July 16 to 19. The lineup includes daily live bands, kids shows, food and beverage outlets, and more than 70 exhibitors. Entry costs 500,000 LBP, with free admission for children under eight.
Scalini Brings Its London Italian Menu to Downtown Beirut
The Chelsea restaurant, open since 1988, adds Beirut to a list that already includes Dubai, Doha, and Cannes.
Scalini, the Italian restaurant founded in London's Chelsea in 1988, has opened a branch in Downtown Beirut. The menu centers on handmade pastas, seafood, pizzas, antipasti, and classic desserts. Beirut joins a group with locations across the Gulf and Europe.
FIFA Turns World Cup Final Pitch Into $450 Collectibles
Football's governing body could earn more than $11 million selling turf from the July 19 final near New York.
FIFA is selling fragments of the pitch used for the 2026 World Cup final as encased memorabilia, with prices running from $450 to $3,000. The governing body is reported to earn more than $11 million from the sale. Each price tier is capped at 2,026 pieces, and orders ship only after the final.
Lebanon Ties Driving School Fees to a Mandatory Skill Test
New Ministry of Interior rules cap what schools can charge and link the total bill to how much training you need.
Lebanon's Ministry of Interior has issued Decision No. 825, setting a unified fee structure for driving schools nationwide. The bill is now tied to a mandatory skill evaluation that sorts students into five levels, with total package caps ranging from 11.25 million to nearly 23 million pounds. The decision also puts limits on paperwork and transport fees that schools previously priced on their own.
Spinneys Opens in Amioun, Creating 150 Jobs in North Lebanon
Spinneys' new Koura branch spans 4,400 square meters across three floors and aims to serve 800,000 visitors a year.
Spinneys has launched a new branch in Amioun, the main town of Lebanon's Koura district. The three-floor store covers more than 4,400 square meters and added 150 jobs for the local community. Company chairman Hassan Ezzeddine framed the opening as part of a push to invest in North Lebanon.
Majid Al Futtaim Opens First Premium Carrefour Market in Dubai
The 2,200 square metre store in Jumeirah Park is the prototype for Carrefour's next premium format.
Majid Al Futtaim has opened the first premium Carrefour Market in the UAE at Jumeirah Park Centre in Dubai. The store gives 38% of its floor space to fresh and ready-made food and will serve as the model for more premium outlets in 2026.
Lebanon Nears Electricity Import Deal With Syria
Energy Minister Joe Saddi says a contract to bring Syrian power into Lebanon's grid is almost ready.
Lebanon's Ministry of Energy and Water says it is close to signing a contract to import electricity from Syria, though the volume has not been set. The reported deal comes as Beirut and Damascus rebuild ties.
Lebanon Ranked 2nd Regionally for Average Internet Cost at $14.23 a Month
A global study of 214 countries places Lebanon second in the Arab world for broadband cost, at $14.23 a month.
Broadband Genie's 2026 Global Broadband Price League compared fixed-line broadband prices across 214 countries. Lebanon placed 15th worldwide and second among Arab countries, behind Egypt, at an average of $14.23 per month. The figures measure the dollar price of a plan and do not account for local incomes.
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John Haddad: The Lebanese Fixer Behind Erling Haaland
The Beirut movement therapist known as 'The Fix' has helped the Norway striker recover and stay sharp since 2020.
As Erling Haaland powers Norway through the 2026 World Cup, attention has turned to the specialists behind him. One of them is John Haddad, a Lebanese biomechanics and movement expert based in Beirut who has worked with the striker since his Borussia Dortmund days.
MENA Startups Raise $148 Million in June as Egypt Returns to Top Three
Deal volume rose to 41 transactions even as the monthly total fell 76 percent from May, driven by a pullback in debt.
Startups across the Middle East and North Africa raised $148.2 million across 41 deals in June 2026, up 190 percent from a year earlier. The UAE led all markets, Egypt jumped to second place, and enterprise AI overtook fintech as the top-funded sector.
Storyland Wins ESA-HEC Entrepreneur Prize 2026
The app builds personalized illustrated stories and can clone a parent's voice to narrate them for children.
Lebanese startup Storyland took the top prize at the seventh ESA-HEC Entrepreneur competition in Beirut. Its app uses several AI models to build personalized illustrated stories and can clone a family member's voice to narrate them. The win comes with six months of funded incubation at Station F in Paris.
Global Study Hub Was Born from Its Founder's Own Struggle to Study Abroad
Sami Georges Faddoul built the Paris-based service after navigating Campus France, visas, and paperwork himself.
Global Study Hub is a Paris-based service founded in 2024 that guides international students through university applications, Campus France, visas, housing, and student jobs. Founder Sami Georges Faddoul started it after his own difficult move to France in 2021.
How a Lebanese Entrepreneur and Chef Turned a Covid Setback Into ChefsTable
The Dubai private dining and events company now has offices in four countries, with three more markets planned.
Albert Valentine launched ChefsTable in 2021 after losing his restaurants during the pandemic. The Dubai-based company stages private dinners, tasting menus, and luxury events, and has grown to offices in Dubai, Miami, Monaco, and Toronto. New York, Singapore, and Italy are next on its expansion list.
L'Auberge de Tyr Reopens After Months of War Damage in South Lebanon
The hillside resort above Tyre returns for its second post-war comeback in under two years.
L'Auberge de Tyr has reopened following a war-related closure in South Lebanon. The property, which grew from an equestrian club into a 20-room hillside retreat, is welcoming guests again as businesses across the region resume operations.
Payment Cards in Lebanon Slip to 1.70 Million as Prepaid Use Fades
BDL data shows prepaid cards fell 13.47% in four months while POS terminals jumped 17.91%.
BDL statistics show the number of payment cards in Lebanon fell 0.99% in the first four months of 2026 to 1,697,090. Prepaid cards drove the decline, while debit and charge cards grew and the POS network expanded by nearly 18%.
Lebanese Bank Capital Up 23% in a Year While Deposits Keep Shrinking
BDL data show commercial bank equity at LBP 446.67 trillion in May 2026 as deposits and lending both contract.
Banque du Liban statistics for May 2026 show the capital accounts of Lebanon's commercial banks rising 1.39% since December to LBP 446.67 trillion. Customer deposits fell to LBP 7,750.19 trillion and the deposit dollarization rate reached 98.76%.
