Report: Lebanon Planning to Devalue Currency by 93%, Depositors to Lose $38 Billion

2 years ago

The Lebanese authorities is reportedly readying to devalue the section currency by up to 93% successful a hopeless bid to person backing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). As portion of the plan, a large information of overseas currency deposits successful the banking strategy volition beryllium converted into section currency astatine antithetic speech rates.

Bailout Only Path Out of Crisis

In a bid to tackle its fiscal crisis, the Lebanese authorities is reportedly pursuing a program that volition spot the country’s section currency being devalued by 93%. In addition, the authorities plans to person a important information of overseas currency deposits successful the banking strategy into the Lebanese pound.

According to a Reuters report, the Lebanese authorities hopes pursuing this fiscal program volition alteration the state to unafraid a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This bailout is seen arsenic Lebanon’s lone way retired of a long-running fiscal crisis.

The study connected Lebanon’s latest program to devalue its currency comes astir 2 months aft the cardinal slope issued a directive — 1 that indirectly devalued the speech complaint for residents withdrawing from their dollar savings accounts. Immediately aft the directive took effect, galore Lebanese residents, with funds trapped successful overseas currency-denominated savings accounts, reportedly besieged banks arsenic they attempted to currency retired their funds.

The government’s latest program volition effect successful holders of overseas currency-denominated savings accounts ceding each their savings to the authorities astatine respective conversions, including 1 that devalues the lb by 75%.

Aligning Lebanon’s Exchange Rates

The nonsubjective of the authorities fiscal program is to align the authoritative speech complaint with that of the parallel market. Doing truthful has been the IMF’s cardinal request to the Lebanese government. At the clip of writing, the Lebanese pound’s authoritative speech complaint versus the U.S. dollar stands astatine 1,511 to one, portion connected the parallel market, 1 USD buys 21,300 Lebanese pounds.

Meanwhile, the Reuters study explains that arsenic portion of the government’s plan, depositors are expected to incur losses amounting to $38 cardinal portion the authorities itself, shareholders successful banks, and the cardinal slope volition incur a combined nonaccomplishment of $31 billion. The program adds that the Lebanese authorities volition instrumentality $25 cardinal to depositors successful a play not exceeding 15 years.

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Terence Zimwara

Terence Zimwara is simply a Zimbabwe award-winning journalist, writer and writer. He has written extensively astir the economical troubles of immoderate African countries arsenic good arsenic however integer currencies tin supply Africans with an flight route.

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