Dan Azzi is a former chairman and CEO of Standard Chartered Bank in Lebanon. He has also held executive positions for Bear Stearns in Hong Kong, Deutsche Bank in New York, Merrill Lynch in London, UBS in Auckland, and is a regular op-ed writer for several media outlets in Lebanon. He comments on Lebanon’s financial sector under the Twitter handle @dan_azzi. Diwan interviewed Azzi in mid-July to get his perspective on Lebanon’s volatile currency situation, the forensic audit of its central bank— the Banque du Liban—and the ongoing negotiations between its government and the International Monetary Fund.
A Country on the Precipice
In an interview, Dan Azzi discusses the many facets of Lebanon’s financial crisis.
More work from Diwan
Decoding LebanonLebanon is facing a series of simultaneous financial, economic, and political shocks. The country stands at a critical juncture, as hundreds of thousands of Lebanese have fallen under the poverty line in recent months. The protest movement that began in October 2019, following the previous government’s decision to raise taxes, is regaining momentum in spite of the lockdown from the coronavirus pandemic. The Carnegie Middle East Center will offer analyses of the multiple crises afflicting Lebanon, explaining their causes, characteristics, consequences, and potential solutions.
Mutual Disenforcement in the Arab WorldTies between Iraq and Lebanon show how fragile regional states tend to strengthen each other’s dysfunctions.
- Hasan Hamra
Sound, Fury, NothingThe ceremonies surrounding the apparent end of the Gaza war only concealed that very little was resolved.
Domesticating the DiasporaThe current rift over how the Lebanese abroad should vote is really about who counts as a citizen.
Avoiding the Worst in LebanonThe Salam government must act more proactively when it comes to the Shia community in the south.
