Fintech & payments regulation in Lebanon (2026)

Legal 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

Key points: digital payments & fintech in Lebanon

1. 01Licensing authority & scope

   Banque du Liban (BDL) is the exclusive regulator and licensor for all entities conducting electronic payment, money-transfer, or banking activities. Banks, financial institutions, and any third party must obtain prior BDL authorisation before offering digital payment services.

   bdl.gov.lb bdl.gov.lb

2. 02BDL Basic Circular No. 1 (January 2026)

   Basic Decision No. 13790 of 9 January 2026 comprehensively overhauled the EPSP/wallet and money-transfer licensing regime, setting out capital requirements (LBP 2 billion deposited at BDL), IT/cybersecurity governance standards, and a six-month compliance transition for previously licensed non-bank institutions.

   bdl.gov.lb today.lorientlejour.com

3. 03Foundational electronic-payments law

   Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data provides the statutory basis for e-payments, digital money transfers, bank cards, and electronic cheques, vesting BDL with authority to license and regulate digital-money operations; it also establishes data-protection obligations applicable to fintechs.

   smex.org dig.watch

4. 04Payment infrastructure (BDL-RTGS & BDL-CLEAR)

   BDL operates both payment rails: BDL-RTGS (launched July 2012) for large-value real-time interbank settlement, and BDL-CLEAR (November 2013) for retail/automated clearing. Licensed fintech e-wallets plug into this infrastructure for P2P transfers, bill payments, remittances, and QR-code purchases.

   bis.org lightspark.com

5. 05No open banking or dedicated EMI regime

   Lebanon has no open-banking mandate, no separate e-money institution (EMI) licence class, and no dedicated BNPL rules. Most non-bank payment service providers operate under BDL-issued licences as money-exchange or wallet companies rather than under a purpose-built PSP or EMI authorisation framework.

   mondaq.com payatlas.com

6. 06BDL Basic Circular No. 69/2000, baseline e-banking rules

   Basic Circular No. 69 (2000) remains the foundational BDL instrument for electronic banking and financial transactions, requiring licensed institutions to meet IT-security, business-continuity (Basic Decision No. 10227/2009), and cybercrime-prevention (Basic Circular No. 144/2017) standards as a precondition for digital payment operations.

   bdl.gov.lb sic.gov.lb

Sources

1. 1.bdl.gov.lb/CB%20Com/Laws%20And%20Regulations/Basic%20Circulars/Decision_13790_EN
2. 2.bdl.gov.lb/lawsandregulations.php
3. 3.smex.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/E-transaction-law-Lebanon-Official-Gazette
4. 4.dig.watch/resource/electronic-transactions-and-personal-data-law-law-no-81-of-l
5. 5.today.lorientlejour.com/article/1492046/money-transfers-bdl-overhauls-regulations-from-top-to
6. 6.bis.org/cpmi/publ/d58.pdf
7. 7.bdl.gov.lb/CB%20Com/Laws%20And%20Regulations/Basic%20Circulars/Decision_7548_EN%
8. 8.sic.gov.lb/sites/default/files/laws-regulations/BDL%20Basic%20Circular%20No.%206
9. 9.mondaq.com/guides/results/10/1119/all/lebanon-fintech
10. 10.payatlas.com/countries/lebanon-lb
11. 11.lightspark.com/knowledge/instant-payments-lebanon