You are here
Lebanon considers sale of gold reserves to rescue its banks and economy
By Malaika Kanaaneh Tapper
Financial Times, London
Monday, February 23, 2026
BEIRUT -- Lebanese bankers and politicians are eyeing the controversial sale or lease of part of the central bank's large gold reserves -- whose value has soared along with the gold price -- as a way of rescuing the country from a devastating economic crisis.
... Dispatch continues below ...
... ADVERTISEMENT ...
Bullion Star Opens in the U.S., Selling and Vaulting Gold and Silver
Bullion Star is now open in the United States, offering gold and silver bullion at extremely competitive prices with free delivery. Bullion Star also offers customers a year of free vault storage along with free delivery as well as storage in its secure precious metals vault in Dallas, Texas.
Storing precious metals is challenging. Homeowner's insurance seldom covers precious metals, and safe deposit boxes offered by banks are neither insured nor covered by the government deposit insurance. Bullion Star's vault is an independently run, Class III UL-rated vault with uncompromising surveillance and round-the-clock security.
With Bullion Star you can transact and store your metals securely and confidentially. Your bullion is fully insured against all risks at full replacement value. Bullion Star uses five audit methods to verify the existence and correctness of your stored bullion.
For more information, please visit:
Lebanon has struggled to agree on a solution for the economic collapse that has stricken the country since 2019, but the sale of the nation's accumulated gold reserves is an unpopular solution for citizens who see it as a fix for the few at the expense of the many. ...
Lebanon's central bank has an unusually large reserve of gold for such a small country -- the more than 280 tonnes it holds is second only to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East. The bank began building up gold reserves in the 1940s and 1950s to underpin the value of the Lebanese pound.
That means the recent unprecedented global rise in the price of gold has had an outsized benefit. The price of gold has risen 70% over the past year to about $5,000 per ounce.
The value of Lebanon's gold reserves has tripled from the start of the crisis to reach about $45 billion now -- equivalent to more than half the financial losses.
... For the remainder of the report:
https://www.ft.com/content/af424904-c661-4f47-b729-b7adf86f5b38
* * *
Support GATA by purchasing
Stuart Englert's "Rigged"
"Rigged" is a concise explanation of government's currency market rigging policy and extensively credits GATA's work exposing it. Ten percent of sales proceeds are contributed to GATA. Buy a copy for $14.99 through Amazon:
* * *
Help keep GATA going:
GATA is a civil rights and educational organization based in the United States and tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Its e-mail dispatches are free, and you can subscribe at:
To contribute to GATA, please visit:
Donations of $500 or more will entitle the donor to a 1-ounce silver round commemorating GATA's work:
https://www.gata.org/sites/default/files/GATA-silver-round-front.png
