LeBusiness — Lebanon Business News & Market Insights
Wasleh Connects Lebanese Travelers With People Sending Things Home
Wasleh is a free platform that matches Lebanese travelers with people who need a package carried to or from Lebanon, with no couriers and no fees. Founder Gisele Makary built it after seven years abroad spent watching the same question circulate in diaspora group chats. It launched this week across five countries and drew more than 100 visitors in its first 24 hours.
Jessy Shaanin's SouqMetrics Puts Sales and Ad Data in One Place
SouqMetrics is an e-commerce analytics platform that brings sales, advertising, customer behavior and performance data into a single live dashboard for brands and agencies across MENA. Founded in 2026 by Jessy Shaanin and run out of North Lebanon, it has completed Shopify's verification process, received approval from Meta and Amazon, and secured Stripe payment processing. A listing with Salla is in its final approval stage.
Lebanese startup Booklee is redefining the beauty & Wellness industry
Booklee is a Beirut software startup built for beauty and wellness businesses, replacing paper diaries and phone calls with a single dashboard for bookings, payments, reminders, and client records. Founded in 2024 by childhood friends Costa Sabbagh and Esper Estephan, it has onboarded more than 200 businesses and processed over $1 million in transactions since launching in January. The founders are now preparing to take the platform into the GCC.
Two Doctors Built Sohhtak to Fix Home Care in Lebanon
Sohhtak is a Lebanese home-care platform that connects patients with verified nurses and physiotherapists for visits at home. Founded by two doctors, the app is live on Android and iOS and covers regions from Beirut to the Bekaa. Patients can view provider profiles, services, prices, and coverage areas before requesting a visit.
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Two Founders, Two Products: The Guardify Story From Beirut
Cedric Kohof and Joe Khalil built a cloud and cybersecurity firm, then added TapMetic, an NFC digital card brand.
Guardify is a Beirut technology company founded in 2026 that offers cloud, cybersecurity, and software services alongside TapMetic, its NFC digital business card brand. Co-founders Cedric Kohof and Joe Khalil say they want to grow across Lebanon before expanding into the wider Middle East.
Kevin Kallassy Has Sold More Than $50 Million in Property
After moving from Lebanon four years ago, Kevin Kallassy has sold over $50 million of property across Western Sydney.
Kevin Kallassy moved from Lebanon to Sydney four years ago and built Team Kallassy, a real estate brand working across Western Sydney. He has sold more than AUD $50 million of property and set a $2.198 million suburb record in Blacktown.
May El Hachem Built askLex to Make Lebanese Law Easier to Navigate
Founded by Lebanese lawyer May El Hachem, the AI app gives legal answers and contract analysis checked by lawyers.
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
Plugging AI into broken workflows doesn't fix your systems, it just accelerates your bottlenecks.
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 Lebanese founder built The Bowery Company into the GCC's leading Scandinavian design distributor.
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.
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.
Record $871M World Cup Pot Guarantees Arab Teams at Least $100M
FIFA will distribute a record $871 million to the 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup, and eight Arab nations are among them.
FIFA has raised the total payout for the 2026 World Cup to a record $871 million. Every one of the 48 teams is guaranteed at least $12.5 million, and the winner earns $50 million in prize money. A record eight Arab nations qualified, putting a combined nine-figure sum within reach of the region's football federations.
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.
Lebanon's Dawlati Portal Goes Live With 12 Government Services
OMSAR's unified state platform opens with tourism, agriculture, investment, and South Lebanon compensation services.
Lebanon's administrative reform ministry has opened Dawlati, a single online portal for government transactions. The first phase covers 12 services across tourism, agriculture, the Council of the South, and the investment authority IDAL. Officials say it is the base for connecting every ministry and moving state services online.
Lebanon Bans Heavy Trucks From Roads During Weekend Rush Hours
Decision No. 791 keeps trucks over 7.5 tons off main roads on Friday and Sunday evenings to ease weekend traffic.
Lebanon's Interior Ministry has issued a decision restricting trucks heavier than 7.5 tons from driving on major roads during peak weekend hours. The rule sets specific blackout windows on Fridays and Sundays, with exemptions for fuel, food, medical, and emergency vehicles. It also adds new lane and safety rules for the trucks still allowed on the road.
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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.
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.
