Byblos Bank (Arabic ：بنك بيبلوس） is a Lebanese bank founded in 1963 and headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon. It is the third largest bank in the country by assets. It is one of the alpha banks in Lebanon and its main competitors are Banque Libano-Française S.A.L., Bank Audi, BLOM Bank and Fransabank. As of July 31, 2018, the company operated 88 branches in Lebanon.

History

Byblos Bank was originally established in 1950 under the name "Société Commerciale et Agricole Byblos Bassil Frères & Co.", a Lebanese company specializing in natural silk, leather tanning and agricultural credit activities. In 1961, the company name was changed to "Société Bancaire Agricole Byblos Bassil Frères & Co." and in 1963 it was established as Byblos Bank S.A.L and registered in the newly formed Banque du Liban.

The original founders included Semaan Melkan Bassil, Youssef Melkan Bassil, Victor Fernainé, and Fouad Fernainé, all from powerful families in the ancient Phoenician town of Byblos, north of Beirut. François Bassil, the current chairperson of the Byblos Banking Group, contributed to the establishment of Byblos Bank S.A.L in 1963.

International Partnerships

Byblos Bank has established partnerships with several international entities, including: the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group, the French Agency for Development (AFD), a public institution providing development finance, and its subsidiary, Société de Promotion et Participation pour la Coopération Economique (PROPARCO). These institutions are among the bank's most prominent shareholders. In 2009, Byblos Bank appointed BNY Mellon as the depositary bank.

Listings and service areas

Byblos Bank is listed on the Beirut Stock Exchange and became the first Lebanese issuer to list on the London Stock Exchange in 2009. It is also active in 9 countries in the Middle East, Europe and Africa: United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Syria, Armenia, Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Iraq and Nigeria