National Supervisory Authority & Licensing Qualification Dossier • Asia-Pacific
BDL
["4"]Banque du Liban
- Supervisory tier
- Tier-2
- License classes
- 2
- Licensed records
- 13
- Active / regulated
- 13
Statutory Supervisory Mandate & Scope
Banque du Liban (BDL) operates as a statutory financial supervisory authority regulating financial institutions in ["4"]. The authority oversees entity licensing, capital adequacy compliance, conduct supervision, and enforcement disclosures via its official registry at bdl.gov.lb.
Prudential Tier Assessment
Tier-2Tier-2 sovereign central bank and macroprudential banking supervisor for ["4"], enforcing Basel III capital adequacy and national payment system integrity.
National licensing qualifications & statutory authorisation classes (BDL)
Authorisation categories, permitted institutional and retail activities, minimum initial capital adequacy, and ongoing prudential solvency rules enforced by BDL in ["4"].
| License class / code | Official designation | Permitted institutional & retail activities | Minimum initial / base capital | Ongoing prudential & solvency rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A / Commercial Banking Charter | Full Commercial & Institutional Banking Licence | Deposit-taking, commercial lending, interbank FX market-making, trade finance, and institutional custody. | USD $5,000,000 – $15,000,000 equivalent statutory paid-up banking capital | Minimum Basel III Total Capital Ratio ≥ 10.5%–12.5%, CET1 ≥ 7.0%, LCR ≥ 100%, and NSFR ≥ 100%. |
| EMI / Payment & FX Institution Licence | Authorised Payment Institution / Electronic Money & FX Remittance Licence | Cross-border remittance, electronic money issuance, merchant payment acquiring, and deliverable spot FX conversion. | USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent paid-up capital plus statutory central bank security deposit. | 100% daily safeguarding of customer float in segregated commercial bank trust accounts. |
Investor compensation, client money segregation & digital-asset regime
Statutory counterparty protections, custody reconciliation mandates, and virtual-asset licensing status under BDL.
Statutory Deposit Insurance & Bank Resolution Scheme (["4"])
- Maximum coverage per client
- Protected up to statutory national deposit insurance ceiling per banking depositor
- Eligible counterparties & scope
- Retail depositors and eligible corporate deposit accounts held at licensed credit institutions.
BDL Prudential Safeguarding & Custody Directives
- Reconciliation & audit cadence
- Daily reserve and Nostro/Vostro liquidity reconciliation; 100% ring-fencing of payment institution safeguarding accounts.
- Approved custodian requirements
- Central bank reserve accounts or ring-fenced statutory trust accounts at Tier-1 correspondent banks.
BDL Prudential Cryptoasset Exposure (BCBS SCO60) & CBDC / Stablecoin Oversight
- Travel Rule, custody & stablecoin rules
- Full FATF Recommendation 16 Wire Transfer & Virtual Asset Travel Rule compliance across supervised banking rails.
Primary Governing Statutes & Rulebooks
- Central Bank & Banking Supervision Act of ["4"]
- Basel III Capital Adequacy (CET1 / Tier 1 / Total Capital) & Liquidity (LCR / NSFR) Prudential Standards
- National Payment Systems & Foreign Exchange Control Regulations (["4"])
- FATF-Aligned Anti-Money Laundering & Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) Banking Directives
Regulatory Reporting & Audit Obligations
Monthly/Quarterly Basel III COREP/FINREP prudential capital and liquidity returns to BDLAnnual IFRS statutory financial audit by an approved central-bank-panel external audit firmReal-time large-exposure, foreign exchange position, and suspicious transaction reporting (STR)
Cross-Border Equivalence & Passporting
Requires BDL home-host supervisory college approval or local branch/representative office licensing for cross-border banking operations.
Supervised institutions & BDL licence records in our database
13 licence records referencing BDL (13 regulated/registered).
| Institution | Licence number | Status | Licensed legal entity | Effective date | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Audi | Not supplied | Regulated | Bank Audi | — | |
| Bank of Beirut | Not supplied | Regulated | Bank of Beirut | — | |
| Banque Misr Liban | Not supplied | Regulated | Banque Misr Liban | — | |
| Cedrus Bank | Not supplied | Regulated | Cedrus Bank | — | |
| Federal Bank of Lebanon | Not supplied | Regulated | Federal Bank of Lebanon | — | |
| Lebanese Swiss Bank | Not supplied | Regulated | Lebanese Swiss Bank | — | |
| Societe Generale de Banque au Liban | Not supplied | Regulated | Societe Generale de Banque au Liban | — | |
| Summit Bank | Not supplied | Regulated | Emirates Lebanon Bank S.A.L. | — | |
| Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Bank of Beirut and the Arab Countries | — | |
| Banque Libano-Française S.A.L.(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Banque Libano-Française S.A.L. | — | |
| Byblos Bank(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Byblos Bank | — | |
| Credit Libanais(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Credit Libanais | — | |
| Middle East and Africa Bank(Cross-jurisdiction record) | Not supplied | Regulated | Middle East and Africa Bank S.A.L. | — |
BDL (["4"]): institutional licensing & due diligence FAQ
Key statutory capital, compensation, custody segregation, and verification answers for compliance teams.
What are the primary licensing classes and minimum capital requirements under BDL (["4"])?
BDL (Banque du Liban) supervises financial institutions in ["4"] under Central Bank & Banking Supervision Act of ["4"] and Basel III Capital Adequacy (CET1 / Tier 1 / Total Capital) & Liquidity (LCR / NSFR) Prudential Standards. Key statutory authorisation classes include: Class A / Commercial Banking Charter (Full Commercial & Institutional Banking Licence — min. capital: USD $5,000,000 – $15,000,000 equivalent statutory paid-up banking capital); EMI / Payment & FX Institution Licence (Authorised Payment Institution / Electronic Money & FX Remittance Licence — min. capital: USD $150,000 – $500,000 equivalent paid-up capital plus statutory central bank security deposit.). Ongoing prudential supervision requires strict adherence to capital adequacy and liquidity buffers.
Does BDL provide statutory investor compensation and mandatory client asset segregation?
Under BDL's framework, investor protection is governed by Statutory Deposit Insurance & Bank Resolution Scheme (["4"]) with maximum coverage of Protected up to statutory national deposit insurance ceiling per banking depositor (Retail depositors and eligible corporate deposit accounts held at licensed credit institutions.). For client money and custody assets, supervised firms must comply with BDL Prudential Safeguarding & Custody Directives, performing daily reserve and nostro/vostro liquidity reconciliation; 100% ring-fencing of payment institution safeguarding accounts. with central bank reserve accounts or ring-fenced statutory trust accounts at tier-1 correspondent banks..
How does BDL regulate digital assets, crypto exchanges (VASPs/CASPs), and stablecoins?
BDL's digital-asset regime is structured around BDL Prudential Cryptoasset Exposure (BCBS SCO60) & CBDC / Stablecoin Oversight (Regulates bank custody, payment settlement rails, fiat-backed stablecoin reserve backing, and Basel SCO60 capital weights.). Custody and AML/CFT compliance obligations require: Full FATF Recommendation 16 Wire Transfer & Virtual Asset Travel Rule compliance across supervised banking rails.
How can I verify an institution's BDL licence number and check our 13 recorded licence entries?
Our database currently tracks 13 licence records referencing BDL (13 marked regulated or registered). To verify a counterparty at the primary source, open BDL's official public register (https://www.bdl.gov.lb/), search by the exact reference number and legal entity name, and confirm that the firm's domain and permitted activities match its statutory authorisation.
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Statutory licensing classes, base capital rules, and investor protection summaries for BDL (["4"]) are maintained for institutional benchmarking and do not constitute legal advice. Always verify current rulebooks and active firm authorisations directly on BDL’s official public register.