Lebanon: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Banque du Liban (BDL) 2013 warning circular to banks; Capital Markets Authority (CMA) Official Gazette Announcement 30 (12 Feb 2018); Electronic Transactions and Personal Data Law; inter-ministerial committee drafting a digital-asset regulatory framework (active as of early 2026)

Lebanon has no comprehensive crypto law; the sector operates in a regulatory gray zone. The CMA's 2018 Announcement 30 banned CMA-licensed financial institutions from issuing, marketing, or trading crypto, and the BDL prohibits banks from handling crypto transactions, but individual ownership and peer-to-peer trading are not explicitly criminalised. A government inter-ministerial committee is actively drafting a formal digital-asset framework, and Lebanon's Economy Minister met Binance senior executives in early 2026 to map a regulatory roadmap.

Framework: Ministry of Technology & Artificial Intelligence (MITAI), draft law approved by Council of Ministers September 2025, pending parliamentary ratification; National Digital Transformation and AI Strategy 2025-2030 launched November 2025

Lebanon has no enacted AI-specific law. In September 2025 the Cabinet approved a draft law to establish a dedicated Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence (MITAI), which awaits parliamentary approval to become binding. Alongside this, Lebanon launched its National Digital Transformation and AI Strategy 2025-2030 in November 2025, setting targets for AI-driven governance and GDP contribution but without yet creating enforceable AI obligations.

Framework: Law No. 81 of 10 October 2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data (Title/provisions on Personal Data); supervised in practice by the Ministry of Economy and Trade (MoET)

Lebanon has a generally-applicable personal data protection law, Law No. 81/2018, enacted on 10 October 2018 and in force since 31 March 2019, which sets out data-processing principles, data-subject rights, controller obligations and cross-border transfer rules across sectors. However, it does not create an independent data-protection authority; oversight rests with the Ministry of Economy and Trade, and practical implementation and enforcement remain very weak, with key procedures (and a definition of 'consent') still undeveloped years after enactment.

Framework: Banque du Liban (BDL), Basic Circular No. 1 / Basic Decision No. 13790 (January 2026) for Electronic Payment Service Providers; BDL Basic Circular No. 69/2000 on Electronic Banking and Financial Transactions; Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data

Lebanon has a partial, BDL-centric regulatory framework for digital payments and fintech. Banque du Liban is the sole licensing authority for payment institutions and electronic payment service providers (EPSPs), and issued an overhauled licensing circular in January 2026 (Basic Decision No. 13790) establishing capital requirements, governance rules, and compliance timelines for EPSP/wallet operators and money-transfer companies. No comprehensive standalone fintech law exists, and key areas such as open banking, e-money/EMI licensing, and BNPL remain unaddressed by dedicated legislation.

Framework: General Directorate of General Security (immigration authority under Decree-Law No. 10188/1962 and amendments); Ministry of Labor (work permit authority). Residency issuance governed by General Security; work authorisations governed by the Labour Code.

Lebanon has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa. Remote workers and long-stay foreigners must pursue one of the existing General Security residency categories: employer-sponsored work-permit residency (requires Ministry of Labor authorisation), or the income/financial-means residency track intended for those with substantial foreign-sourced income or frozen bank deposits. Lebanon has no golden visa or residency-by-investment programme, and the country's ongoing financial and political crisis since 2019 adds practical complexity to all banking-linked requirements.

Framework: Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data; Penal Code (social media speech); ISF Cybercrime and Intellectual Property Rights Bureau; Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA)

Lebanon lacks a comprehensive online safety law comparable to the EU DSA or UK OSA, relying instead on scattered provisions within Law No. 81/2018, the Penal Code, and a contested Cybercrime Bureau under the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Content blocking occurs through court orders executed via the Ministry of Telecommunications and state operator OGERO, while online speech by journalists and activists is frequently prosecuted under the Penal Code. Freedom House rated Lebanon 'Partly Free' with a score of 50/100 in its 2025 Freedom on the Net report.

Framework: Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data; 2019 National Cybersecurity Strategy; Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA); National Cybersecurity Committee (Resolution 173)

Lebanon lacks a comprehensive standalone cybersecurity law. Its regime rests on the 2018 Electronic Transactions and Personal Data Law (Law 81/2018), a 2019 National Cybersecurity Strategy that has been only partially implemented, and sector-level oversight by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Enforcement is severely hampered by the country's prolonged political and economic crisis, and a proposed National Cyber Security and Information System Agency (NCISA) has not yet been formally established.

Framework: Lebanese Commercial Code (Code de Commerce), as amended by Law No. 126/2019; Investment Development Authority of Lebanon (IDAL) under Law No. 360/2001; Ministry of Economy and Trade for branch registration; Commercial Registry at the Ministry of Justice

Foreign nationals may establish companies in Lebanon under broadly the same conditions as Lebanese nationals, with no general cap on foreign equity ownership outside restricted sectors (real estate trading, insurance, media, banking). The formal registration process takes 10-15 days and involves multiple agencies, a mandatory notary, and annual retention of a lawyer and auditor. Practical friction is heightened by Lebanon's ongoing financial crisis: banking system restrictions, currency instability, and a political vacuum that persisted until January 2025 all create material operational risks beyond the legal framework.