Bank of Beirut (Arabic ：بنك بيروت， not to be confused with Bank of Beirut and Arab countries) is a bank in Beirut, Lebanon. Bank of Beirut was founded in 1963 as Realty Business Bank S.A.L. and changed its name to its current name in 1970. In 1993, a group of bankers and businesspeople led by current Chairperson and CEO Salim Sfeir bought the five-branch bank, which ranked 35th out of 71 banks operating that year, and in 1997, Bank of Beirut listed on the Beirut Stock Exchange. Since the beginning of the Lebanese financial crisis in October 2019, this bank has and continues to wrongly withhold depositors' funds and work with Lebanon's political elite to transfer the funds they have accumulated in the largest Ponzi scheme ever.

Expansion

In 1997, a strategic alliance was formed with Emirates NBD; later in 2001, Beirut Bank opened a representative office in Dubai to serve expatriates from the Gulf Cooperation Council. In 2002, a branch was opened in Limassol, Cyprus, regulated by the Central Bank of Cyprus (and closed in December 2023), followed by representative offices in Lagos and Accra, Nigeria, in 2004. Opened 3 branches in Oman, in Sohar in 2008, Ghobra in 2012 and 2012, and The Wave in 2014. In 2002, a wholly owned subsidiary Beirut Bank (UK) Ltd. was established, and a branch was opened in Frankfurt, Germany in 2009 (and closed in 2019). Following the acquisition of Sydney Bank in 2011, branches were opened in Adelaide and Melbourne in addition to Sydney.

Offices and Branches

Beirut Bank currently has several branches on four continents, including Lebanon, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia, Oman, UK, and Nigeria.