Mixed fortunes for startups during the financial crisis in Lebanon

many residents lost their life savings after Lebanese banks decided to withhold the savings of individuals and organizations.( Reuters/File)
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Updated 16 January 2022
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Mixed fortunes for startups during the financial crisis in Lebanon

  • Some fledgling businesses were unable to weather the storm but others found a lifeline by shifting operations to other countries and are determined to survive

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s financial woes began with the protests in October 2019, when a series of peaceful sit-ins escalated and became a national revolution against the ruling class.

Soon, there was a steep decline in the value of the Lebanese pound against the dollar. The official rate is still 1,500 pounds to the dollar but the currency has lost more than 90 percent of its value and now trades at about 30,000.

Meanwhile, Lebanese banks decided to withhold the savings of individuals and organizations, a decision that resulted in many residents losing their life savings and the closure of numerous organizations, family businesses and startups.

“I lost $350,000 of my money because of the crisis,” Rana Chmaitelly, the founder of The Little Engineer, an educational startup for children, told Arab News. “I lost the product of my sweat, blood and tears — they took it all away. But I didn’t give up.”

In a stroke of good fortune amid the despair, toward the end of 2019 Chmaitelly was expecting a large transfer of money from a business partner. Having been denied access to the cash in her own bank account in Lebanon, her only solution was to swiftly establish an offshore, and later a freezone, company in the UAE, to which the money her partner owed her could be safely transferred.

“That transfer to the UAE saved me and my team, or else we would now be owing a lot of money to our partners,” Chmaitelly said.

Her story is not unique among Lebanese startups. The founders of Cherpa, another educational startup, which offers technology training courses to teenagers, also relocated in part to the UAE at the onset of the financial crisis. They were able to open a freezone company there and obtain residency.

“Having our money withheld by banks was awful; there was a lot of frustration,” cofounder Bassel Jalaleddine, told Arab News. “I used to waste my time queuing up in banks all day just to get $300.”

Online platforms Mint Basel Market, Kamkalima and Ounousa are just some of the other startups that relocated operations, at least partly, to the UAE.

Tech giant Arabnet has studied the effects of the multiple crises in Lebanon on the startup ecosystem, surveying 60 startups and 15 stakeholders. Its report, which has yet to be published, reveals that about half of the startups have moved their headquarters or parts of their businesses outside of Lebanon, Omar Christidis, Arabnet’s founder and CEO, told Arab News.

As if having their capital withheld by banks was not bad enough, startups had to deal with another devastating blow at the end of 2019: the suspension of Circular 331 by Banque du Liban, the country’s central bank.

Announced by BDL in late 2013, Circular 331 was a mechanism that injected more than $400 million into the Lebanese enterprise and tech markets. The limit was raised in 2016 to $650 million to foster even more innovation and encourage banks to invest more in startups. It was hailed as a “holy grail” for businesses in the country.

The benefits were felt for six years, said Elias Boustani, the former chief operating officer with startup consultant Wamda, despite concerns that a bubble had formed that was leading to ridiculously high valuations of startups, and affecting salaries in the tech sector.

“The circular is a BDL issue and this allowed the banks to use their own equity and to be subsidized by BDL in order to invest in startups or in funds investing in startups,” said Walid Hanna, the founder and CEO of Middle East Venture Partners in Beirut.

HIGHLIGHTS

Capital locked away in banks. Circular 331 put on hold. Brain drain and the August 4 blast. How have Lebanese startups survived?

Lebanese startups are feeling the pinch. Engulfed by multiple crises, they are facing a unique set of challenges they have never had to contend with before, and are desperately looking for solutions.

“The money they allocated to the funds and to the startups was 100 percent used and depleted; it was all spent or invested. And now BDL and the (commercial) banks have no intention to reinvest in startups according to Circular 331 because, obviously, they have other priorities.”

These other priorities include attempts to address a crippling economic crisis and adjust to the hyperinflation of the currency.

MEVP told Arab News that the number of Lebanese operational startups before the crisis began in 2019 was 25. This number has fallen to 15, with seven of those struggling to remain afloat.

“The financial and economic crisis in Lebanon has impacted the ability of startups to invest in markets outside Lebanon,” according to MEVP. “The Lebanese (pound) has lost more than 90 percent of its value, making it impossible for Lebanese startups to generate substantial revenues.

“Previous funds raised are frozen in banks; these ‘Lebanese dollars,’ dubbed ‘lollars,’ stand at 19 percent of their US dollar value, making it impossible for Lebanese companies to invest in their growth.”

Some sources of funding, such as regional accelerator Flat6Labs, have put financial support to their Lebanese branches on hold.

“I remember we were among the last batch to receive funding in 2019 before the (suspension of Circular 331),” Adnan Ammache, the founder and CEO of gifting platform Presentail, told Arab news. “We received funding that was worth a little bit over $100,000.”

Six other startups received funding that ranged from $30,000 to $100,000, according to Ammache. No representative of Flat6Lab was available for comment.

With no end in sight to the crises, Lebanon is experiencing its most severe brain drain in more than a century. The minimum wage still stands at 675,000 pounds a month, which is now worth a meager $24.This has led to a severe loss of talent in several sectors, including technology, leaving startups at a disadvantage.

Startups that want to try to retain their human resources must pay employees in dollars, which places additional strain on already tenuous finances, said MEVP’s Hanna.

Avo Manjerian, the cofounder and CEO of shift-scheduling startup Schedex, told Arab News: “Finding and retaining talent is hard and costly but the goal is not the money; it’s creating the incomparable, flexible and broad-minded culture in our small startup.”

Schedex soft-launched in October 2019, just as the economic crisis was beginning.




A woman wearing a face mask walks past a money exchange office in the Lebanese capital Beirut. (AFP/File)

“We pay our employees in fresh dollars from our investment because we want to be fair and we don’t want to take advantage of the situation,” Manjerian said.

Other startups such as Cherpa and Mint Basil Market said they also pay in dollars, in an effort to be “fair,” and having a bank account in another country, such as the UAE, helps with this.

Boustani said that some startups concerned about losing employees are also offering staff the chance to relocate to the UAE, Turkey or other countries and work remotely. Murex, for example, helped workers in Lebanon move to the company’s offices in France.

The devastating explosion at Beirut’s port on Aug. 4, 2020, delivered yet another blow to Lebanese startups. Buildings in the Beirut Digital District, the hub for Lebanese entrepreneurs, were badly damaged, including the offices of several startups including Schedex, Sympaticus and Moodfit.

Businesses in other parts of the city were also affected by the explosion, including Buildlink, FabricAID, Compost Baladi SAL and Basma, according to the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center. The center launched an aid initiative that distributed $100,000 equally among 10 high-impact Lebanese startups affected by the blast.

Looking to the future, to say that the Lebanese are resilient is an understatement. They are a stubborn, determined people, and this is reflected in the determination startup founders to succeed at all costs.

“We have been operational since May 18,” said Hussein Sleiman, the founder of Find a Nurse, an award-winning online platform that supplies trusted caregivers.

“We have stopped at nothing. And while we of course aspire to expand to be a global startup, we plan to make our headquarters in Lebanon — where we can employ people residing in Lebanon and benefit our country.”


Saudi Arabia raises $3.09bn in sukuk issuances for December

Updated 24 December 2024
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Saudi Arabia raises $3.09bn in sukuk issuances for December

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Debt Management Center has successfully concluded its riyal-denominated sukuk issuance for December, raising SR11.59 billion ($3.09 billion).

This marks a substantial 239.88 percent increase from the previous month, when the Kingdom raised SR3.41 billion in sukuk. Saudi Arabia had raised SR7.83 billion in October and SR2.6 billion in September.

Sukuk, which are Shariah-compliant Islamic bonds, provide investors with partial ownership of the issuer’s assets until the bonds mature. The rise in sukuk issuance aligns with positive global market projections.

A Moody’s report released in September forecasted that the global sukuk market would remain robust in 2024, with total issuance expected to reach between $200 billion and $210 billion, an increase from just under $200 billion in 2023.

The December sukuk issuance by NDMC was structured into four tranches, each with varying maturities. The largest tranche, valued at SR5.58 billion, is set to mature in 2027. Another tranche, worth SR3.90 billion, will mature in 2029, while a third tranche, valued at SR706 million, is due for repayment in 2031. The final tranche, amounting to SR1.4 billion, will mature in 2034.

This surge in sukuk issuance comes as the Kingdom is expected to lead the Gulf Cooperation Council region in bond and sukuk maturities between 2025 and 2029.

A report by Kamco Invest, released earlier this month, projected that Saudi Arabia’s total bond and sukuk maturities during this period would reach $168 billion, with government-issued bonds and sukuk accounting for $110.2 billion of that total.

In December, Fitch Ratings also highlighted that the GCC debt capital market crossed the $1 trillion threshold in outstanding debt by the end of November.

Earlier in October, Fitch had noted that the growth in sukuk issuance was driven by improving financing conditions, especially after the US Federal Reserve’s rate cut to 5 percent in September. Looking ahead, Fitch expects interest rates to decline further, reaching 4.5 percent by the end of 2024 and 3.5 percent by the end of 2025, which is likely to spur more sukuk issuances in the short term.


Saudi, Nigerian ministers hold talks to strengthen economic relations

Updated 24 December 2024
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Saudi, Nigerian ministers hold talks to strengthen economic relations

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Nigeria held high-level talks to discuss financial and economic developments, focusing on regional and global challenges, as well as opportunities for collaboration. 

The meeting, led by the kingdom’s Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan, included a delegation from the African country headed by Finance Minister Wale Edun and Budget and Economic Planning Minister Abubakar Atiku Bagudu.

The discussions aimed to strengthen economic ties and explore joint strategies to navigate evolving financial landscapes. 

This comes as trade between Nigeria and Saudi Arabia showed a significant imbalance in 2023, with Nigeria exporting goods worth $76.29 million to the Kingdom, while imports from Saudi Arabia amounted to $1.51 billion, according to the UN COMTRADE database on international trade.


Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 11,914

Updated 24 December 2024
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 11,914

  • Parallel market dropped by 0.11% to 30,920.40
  • MSCI Tadawul Index shed 3.17 points to close at 1,496.90

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Tuesday, as it shed 34.84 points, or 0.29 percent, to close at 11,913.95. 

The Kingdom’s parallel market also dropped by 0.11 percent to 30,920.40, while the MSCI Tadawul Index shed 3.17 points to close at 1,496.90. 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.83 billion ($1.02 billion), with 64 of the listed stocks advancing, while 168 declining. 

The best-performing stock of the day was Al-Baha Investment and Development Co., as its share price surged by 9.09 percent to SR0.48. 

Other top performers were Saudi Chemical Co., increasing 4.66 percent to SR9.66, and Shatirah House Restaurant Co., rising 4.44 percent to SR21.30. 

The share price of United Electronics Co. slipped by 6.77 percent to close at SR92.20. 

First Milling Co. announced the successful expansion of its Mill A, boosting production capacity from 300 tonnes to 550 tonnes per day. 

In a Tadawul filing, the company, which produces flour, feed, and bran, said that the financial impact of the expansion will be reflected in the fourth quarter of this year. 

The company’s share price gained 1.35 percent, closing at SR59.90. 

Banque Saudi Fransi announced that its shareholders approved a 107.4 percent capital increase, raising its capital from SR12.05 billion to SR25 billion. 

The bank said that the decision was finalized during an extraordinary general meeting held on Dec. 23. 

Banque Saudi Fransi’s share price dropped 0.62 percent to close at SR15.94. 

Meanwhile, retail investors began subscribing to 3.47 million shares of Saudi-based online beauty brand Nice One on the main market. 

The company announced on Dec. 16 that it set the final offer price for its initial public offering at SR35 per share, aiming to raise SR1.2 billion. 

The retail subscription period, which started on Dec. 24, will run through Dec. 25. 

Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority approved Ejada Systems Co.’s request to float 20.05 million shares, representing 45 percent of its share capital. 

In a statement on Tadawul, the company said that its prospectus will be published well ahead of the subscription period. 

It will provide investors with key information, including financial statements, business activities, and management details to support informed investment decisions. 

The CMA approved a request by Umm Al Qura for Development and Construction Co. to float 130.78 million shares, representing 9.09 percent of the firm’s share capital. 

The authority also approved Ratio Specialty Co. to float 5 million shares, equal to 25 percent of the company’s share capital, on the Kingdom’s parallel market. 


EBRD supports Africa’s largest onshore wind project in Egypt with $275m loan

Updated 24 December 2024
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EBRD supports Africa’s largest onshore wind project in Egypt with $275m loan

  • 1.1 GW wind farm in Egypt will reduce annual CO2 emissions by more than 2.2 million tonnes
  • Loan to Suez Wind consists of $200 million A loan from the EBRD and $75 million in B loans from Arab Bank and Standard Chartered

JEDDAH: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is supporting Egypt in launching Africa’s largest wind farm, backed by a $275 million syndicated loan.

The loan to Suez Wind consists of a $ 200 million A loan from the EBRD and $ 75 million in B loans from Arab Bank and Standard Chartered, the international financial institution said in a press release.

It added that the initiative is being co-financed by the African Development Bank, British International Investment, and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, as well as the OPEC Fund for International Development and the Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation.

The wind farm in the Gulf of Suez will have an installed capacity of 1.1 gigawatts, delivering clean, renewable energy at a lower cost than conventional power generation. It is expected to produce over 4,300 GWh of electricity annually and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 2.2 million tons per year, supporting Egypt’s energy sector alignment with its commitments under the Paris Agreement.

Rania Al-Mashat, Egypt’s minister of planning, economic development, and international cooperation, said that her country is committed to advancing its renewable energy ambitions, aiming to derive 42 percent of its energy mix from renewable sources by 2030, in line with their nationally determined contributions.

“Through our partnership with the EBRD, a key development partner within the energy sector of Egypt’s country platform for the NWFE program, we are mobilizing blended finance to attract private-sector investments in renewable energy,” said Al-Mashat, who also serves as governor of the north African country to the EBRD

The minister added: “So far, funding has been secured for projects with a capacity of 4.7 gigawatts, and we are working collaboratively to meet the program’s targets to reduce Egypt’s fuel consumption and expand clean energy projects.”

Managing Director of the EBRD’s Sustainable Infrastructure Group, Nandita Parshad, expressed pride in the bank’s role as the largest financier of the landmark 1,100-megawatt wind farm in the Gulf of Suez, which is also the largest onshore wind farm in EBRD’s operational countries to date.

“Egypt continues to be a trailblazer for large-scale renewables in Africa: first with the largest solar farm and now the largest windfarm on the continent. Great to partner on both with ACWA power and to bring new partners in this project, Hassan Allam Utilities and Meridiam,” she said.

Suez Wind is a special project company jointly owned by Saudi energy giant ACWA Power and HAU Energy, a recently established renewable energy equity platform that the EBRD is investing in alongside Hassan Allam Utilities and Meridiam Africa Investments.

The EBRD, of which Egypt is a founding member, is the principal development partner in the republic’s energy sector under the Nexus of Water, Food, and Energy program, launched at COP27. This wind farm is one of the first projects within NWFE’s energy pillar, advancing progress toward the country’s 10-gigawatt renewable energy goal.

It plays a vital role in supporting Egypt’s efforts to decarbonize its fossil fuel-dependent power sector and achieve its ambitious renewable energy targets.

Since the EBRD began operations in Egypt in 2012, the bank has invested nearly €13.3 billion in 194 projects across the country. These investments span various sectors, including finance, transport, and agribusiness, as well as manufacturing, services, and infrastructure, with a particular emphasis on power, municipal water, and wastewater projects, according to the same source.

Last month, EBRD announced it was supporting the development and sustainability of Egypt’s renewable-energy sector by extending a $21.3 million loan to Red Sea Wind Energy.

The loan was established to fund the development and construction of a 150-megawatt expansion to the 500-megawatt wind farm currently being constructed in the same region.


UAE non-oil sectors push GDP growth to 4% in 2024: CBUAE

Updated 24 December 2024
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UAE non-oil sectors push GDP growth to 4% in 2024: CBUAE

  • Growth is projected to accelerate to 4.5% in 2025 and 5.5% in 2026
  • Non-oil GDP growth is forecast to remain robust, expanding by 4.9% in 2024 and 5% in 2025

RIYADH: The UAE economy is expected to grow by 4 percent in 2024, driven by robust performance across key non-oil sectors, according to official projections. 

The Central Bank of the UAE’s Quarterly Economic Review for December indicates that growth will be supported by sectors including tourism, transportation and financial services, as well as insurance, construction, real estate, and communications. 

Looking ahead, growth is projected to accelerate to 4.5 percent in 2025 and 5.5 percent in 2026, as the country continues to benefit from economic diversification policies aimed at reducing its dependence on oil revenues. 

Non-oil GDP growth is forecast to remain robust, expanding by 4.9 percent in 2024 and 5 percent in 2025. 

The report attributed this growth to strategic government policies aimed at attracting foreign investment and promoting economic diversification. 

In the second quarter, non-oil GDP grew by 4.8 percent year on year, compared to 4.0 percent in the first quarter, supported by manufacturing, trade, transportation and storage, and real estate activities. 

In September, the CBUAE revised its GDP growth forecast for the year upward by 0.1 percentage points, citing expected improvements in the oil sector. 

Initially projecting a 3.9 percent growth for 2024, the central bank adjusted the figure to 4 percent. In its second-quarter economic report, the CBUAE forecasted a growth rate of 6 percent for 2025. 

The UAE’s 16 non-oil sectors continued their steady growth in the third quarter of the year, with wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, and construction being key contributors. 

The manufacturing sector has benefited from increased foreign direct investment, aligning with both federal and emirate-level strategies. 

The first nine months of the year also saw strong performance in the construction sector, reflecting significant investment in infrastructure and development projects. 

Non-oil trade exceeded 1.3 trillion dirhams ($353.9 billion) in the first half of the year, representing 134 percent of the country’s GDP, a 10.6 percent year-on-year increase. 

This growth underscores the success of the UAE’s economic diversification agenda and its comprehensive economic partnership agreements with various countries, which have strengthened trade relationships and driven exports.

The UAE has set ambitious economic targets to diversify its economy and reduce dependence on oil revenues.  

Under the We the UAE 2031 vision, the country aims to double its GDP from 1.49 trillion dirhams to 3 trillion dirhams, generate 800 billion dirhams in non-oil exports, and raise the value of foreign trade to 4 trillion dirhams.  

Additionally, the UAE plans to increase the tourism sector’s contribution to GDP to 450 billion dirhams. 

Oil production averaged 2.9 million barrels per day in the first 10 months of the year and is forecasted to grow by 1.3 percent for the year, with further acceleration to 2.9 percent in 2025.  

The fiscal sector also performed strongly in the first half of the year, with government revenue rising 6.9 percent on a yearly basis to 263.9 billion dirhams, equivalent to 26.9 percent of GDP.  

This increase was fueled by a significant 22.4 percent rise in tax revenues. Meanwhile, the fiscal surplus reached 65.7 billion dirhams, or 6.7 percent of GDP, marking a 38.8 percent increase from the 47.4 billion dirhams surplus, or 5.1 percent of GDP, recorded in the first half of 2023.  

Government capital expenditure surged by 51.7 percent year on year to 11 billion dirhams, reflecting the UAE’s commitment to advancing large-scale infrastructure projects and enhancing the country’s economic and investment landscape.

In the private sector, economic activity remained robust, with the UAE’s Purchasing Managers’ Index reaching 54.1 in October this year, signaling continued optimism among businesses driven by sustained demand and sales growth.

Dubai’s PMI stood at 53.2 in October, closely aligning with the national average, indicating consistent growth in the emirate’s non-oil private sector.

Employment and wages also showed strong performance, with the number of employees covered by the CBUAE’s Wages Protection System rising by 4 percent year-on-year in September. 

Average salaries increased by 7.2 percent yearly during the same period, reflecting strong domestic consumption and sustainable GDP growth.