Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2016 i Lebanon Opportunities

4.5G MOBILE INTERNET WILL BE READY IN SEPTEMBER Alfa, the mobile network managed by Egypt’s Orascom Telecom, has signed contracts with Ericsson and Nokia to deploy the 4.5G service countrywide. The project will boost the grid’s speed to 300 megabits per second. Alfa said in a statement. that it is part of the Ministry of Telecommunication’s (MoT) 2020 five-year plan to develop the telecom sector. Deployment work will be completed this September instead of the end of 2016, as previously announced. Marwan Hayek, CEO of Alfa said: “More than 30 companies will be involved in implementing this project, which means that 5,500 individuals will work on it directly.” He said that 1,300 stations will be installed all over the country and that annual consumption of data will increase to 80,000…

■ LIMITED IMPACT OF GCC TRAVEL WARNINGS ■ NO ECONOMIC ESCALATION WITH SAUDI ARABIA ■ BANK DEPOSITS TO GROW BY FOUR PERCENT IN 2016 A number of reports by rating agencies and financial institutions, such as Moody’s, have said that the declining number of visitors from GCC countries will have a limited immediate impact on both the country’s fiscal and external positions. The decision of Saudi Arabia to stop $4 billion in financial aid to the armed forces is not seen by Merrill Lynch as a signal for further negative action against the country, such as withdrawing its deposits from the Central Bank. Deposit growth remains unchanged, said Merrill Lynch, with an increase of non-resident foreign currency deposits. GDP growth projections by Standard & Poor (S&P) have been revised downward…

The activity of the retail sector saw a volatile performance throughout 2015, according to the retail indices by the Beirut Traders Association (BTA) released in cooperation with Fransabank and the Lebanese Franchise Association (LFA), supported by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture of Beirut and Mount Lebanon (CCIA-BML). Overall, the retail sector performed better compared to 2014, but the final quarter drew mixed results. The indices showed that it was a good year for services and a bad year for consumer goods. Some subsectors did even better than the base year. Highlighted were a few dissimilarities and conflicts in some of the indices’ results. The initial goal behind them was to fill a gap in the national statistical platform and to provide retail enterprises and prospective investors with a…

Links: Click this article’s entry in ‘Table of Contents’ on our website March was the month of acquisitions among banks. EFG Hermes is selling its 63.7 percent stake in Credit Libanais, Byblos Bank acquired Banque Pharaon & Chiha, and Bank of Beirut (BoB) is seeking to buy Marfin Bank Romania. In the last 30 years, most of the big banks have grown through mergers and acquisitions, according to Raed Khoury, Chairman of Cedrus Invest Bank. “It is faster than organic growth. It is a common practice when a bank has a strong shareholder base,” he said. As result of a consolidation process, the number of banks with local shareholders and local management has dropped by about half in the past two decades. Most of them were financed – at subsidized…

A suit’s pattern, cut, and fabric all play an important role in shaping a body’s visual silhouette. It is essential to choose the right type in order to enhance body shape and character. Learning how to dress correctly and according to body shape will help in understanding personal style. THE AVERAGE BUILD A person with an average build tends to be slightly wider at the shoulders than the midsection. Legs are not too muscular and lean. People who are lucky enough to have this build can choose almost any suit straight off the rack. A slim fit suit or a slightly draped down (full cut) one will look good. A deep or shallow ‘V’ line, two or three buttoned, single or double breasted suit jackets can all be worn successfully…

$370 MILLION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS The Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) signed five agreements with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) for a number of projects in the fields of transportation, water, and wastewater. The funding agreements included one related to Bisri Dam valued at $128 million. The dam is part of a greater water augmentation project that consists of developing a 12 MWh hydropower plant, a water treatment facility for 25,000 cubic meters of water a day, water, and wastewater networks. The project, which will supply 12 million m3 of potable water to 1.3 million people, is cofunded by the World Bank. The second agreement, valued at $87.5 million, is for transforming the Ghadir facility from a preliminary wastewater treatment plant into a primary one. The project will triple…

A number of pioneers are active in two promising fields of data exploitation, big data and open data. A broad term, ‘big data’ describes sets of data so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate to handle it. From an altitude of 2,000 meters in the Cedars of Bsharri, Paul Taouk runs two information technology companies, Roxana and Implify, which provide big data solutions. He is one of the few entrepreneurs involved in this cuttingedge business. Implify has developed two software programs used to sort through big data and has implemented them in local companies. Implify plans to launch its products on the global market this year. Big data, described as the oil of the 21st century, generates huge economic gains, but only if properly harnessed. Big…

Links: Click this article’s entry in ‘Table of Contents’ on our website Banks remain resilient and reported positive results in their domestic operations last year. Almost all of the top 20 banks that have shared their financial figures with Lebanon Opportunities have recorded a positive growth in their assets, deposits, and loans. A few recorded a decrease in net profit. Five of them registered doubledigit profit growth. The banking sector’s strength lies in its conservative policies, abundant liquidity, high solvency, and its strict regulatory framework, said Marwan Barakat, Head of Research at Bank Audi. “It also enjoys a good quality asset base and acceptable profitability ratios,” he said. The sector remains dominated by Bank Audi, BLOM Bank, Byblos Bank, Fransabank, Bank of Beirut, and BLF. Smaller banks were able to…

Advent Group Paris 103, Rue Lafayette, 75010 Paris, France Tel: (+33)1.43.41.52.38 logistics@advent-group.net www.advent-group.net AUB - Office of Student Affairs Career and Placement Services Mariam Ghandour Beirut Campus, Hamra Tel: (01)350.000, Ext. 3172 jobfair@aub.edu.lb www.aub.edu.lb/Events/Pages/EventDetails. aspx?ItemId=2066 BAU - Beirut Arab University Debbieh Main Road Tel: (07) 985.080/90, Fax: (07) 985.060 www.bau.edu.lb CMG - Creative Management Group Kaline Center, Sin El-Fil, Beirut Tel: (01)494.455, Mobile: (03)390.039 info@cmgsal.com, www.cmgsal.com EduCity Mar Elias, Beirut Mobile: (70) 869.196, farhat@edu-city.net www.Edu-City.net Promoteam 140 Mar Mitr St., Freiha Bldg, 9th Floor, Ashrafieh Tel: (01) 339.050 Fax: (01) 339.060 sm@promoteam-ltd.com www.promoteam-ltd.com UAB - Union of Arab Banks Riad El-Solh, Beirut Tel: (01) 377.800 Fax: (01)364.927/52 uab@uabonline.org www.uabonline.org Check our website for full listings…

BEIRUT DIGITAL DISTRICT TO BEGIN SECOND PHASE ZRE, the developer of the Beirut Digital District (BDD), plans to start phase B of the BDD project in May, for a total construction cost of $35 million, said Mouhamad Rabah, ZRE’s General Manager. Phase B, which is expected to be completed in 2019, will consist of 17,500 square meters of offices with integrated ICT technology. “We are in the process of signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation with the Spanish Embassy to learn how Barcelona has become one of the smartest cities in the world,” said Rabah. BDD, a 15-year venture launched in September 2012, currently consists of five buildings with a built-up area of 15,000 m2. It hosts 50 companies that employ 1,200 people active in the ICT, digital,…

Links: Click this article’s entry in ‘Table of Contents’ on our website The trade sector is still seeking to recruit applicants, but ones with university specialties, according to the ‘Labor Force in Trade and Service Enterprise’ study launched by the National Employment Office (NEO), in collaboration with the Beirut Traders Association (BTA), and Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL). The NEO is affiliated with the Ministry of Labor. The trade sector remains the first generator of jobs, preceding the construction and hospitality sector, in spite of the economic recession. Trade companies have the ability to create job opportunities based on new university curricula. More coordination should be conducted between employers and universities to push them to integrate new courses or specializations that meet market needs. Trade companies are requested…

Advertising on social media has quickly become part of many company advertising plans. Advertisers are always searching for new and better ways to use advanced technologies and diversify platforms in order to compete and dominate the market. From the hairdresser who increased sales by 400 percent through a single post on facebook that created a $250,000 deal to raising $11.5 million in one week for a charity, social media has the power to create real opportunities for business. Samar Layoun, Director of Business Development at ‘addbloom’, said: “Facebook has democratized marketing through the quality and quantity of available opportunities.” Twitter users send more than 500 million tweets a month. The social media network recently announced its intention to provide an opportunity for advertisers who want to increase the proportion of…

Links: Click this article’s entry in ‘Table of Contents’ on our website Founded between 8800 and 7000 BC, Byblos is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It continues to thrive until today. Property sales and development activities are booming in Byblos and its surroundings. Defying all odds, the town is doing relatively well compared to the market nationwide. Demand is high and rising in its suburbs. Developers are constructing multi-block, mixed use projects. There is demand for commercial spaces as Byblos attracts more shoppers with improving infrastructure and increasing tourism. It has positively affected its surroundings, which maintain a residential nature, but with a few exceptions. A CITY FOR EVERYONE Byblos has plenty to offer. Located on the North Highway, the town and its surroundings are…

Business is about being the best in the game. There is no better way to do this than to practice through playing. Beating virtual competitors, making smart moves, and overcoming challenges trains the mind and fosters strategic thinking. Board games are not still only common as a family tradition to pass the time, but are also taking on a new role as an integral part of corporate training. Game makers are designing new board games that are today still unable to compete with traditional ones, but are nevertheless gaining the attention of younger age groups. BACKGAMMON Backgammon is a 5,000-year-old game whose origin is traced to Mesopotamia, the region which included modern day Iraq, among others. It is common in almost every house, or on a fancy table in some…