Lebanon’s central bank governor: ‘We’re not a normal country’Riad Salamé explains how the country’s economy can survive the latest political crisisLebanon’s lenders serve public and private mastersBanking system relies on remittances sent back by the diasporaDurable Lebanese banks have earned trustLenders’ continuing ability to attract deposits has been the cornerstone of financial and social stability in the countryBeirut tech sector’s resilience faces another political testPolicymakers hope the industry can help reverse the country’s brain drainLebanon’s bankers see reconstruction role in SyriaBut the legacy of Lebanon’s own civil war may thwart participationLebanon’s property investors hold their nerveBuyers had already expected prices to drop, before the latest political instabilityMore from this Special ReportLebanon’s borrowing habits reveal a cultural shiftPeople are becoming more confident taking out personal loans
Lebanon’s central bank governor: ‘We’re not a normal country’Riad Salamé explains how the country’s economy can survive the latest political crisisLebanon’s lenders serve public and private mastersBanking system relies on remittances sent back by the diasporaDurable Lebanese banks have earned trustLenders’ continuing ability to attract deposits has been the cornerstone of financial and social stability in the countryBeirut tech sector’s resilience faces another political testPolicymakers hope the industry can help reverse the country’s brain drainLebanon’s bankers see reconstruction role in SyriaBut the legacy of Lebanon’s own civil war may thwart participationLebanon’s property investors hold their nerveBuyers had already expected prices to drop, before the latest political instabilityMore from this Special ReportLebanon’s borrowing habits reveal a cultural shiftPeople are becoming more confident taking out personal loans
![Riad Salameh, governor of Lebanon's central bank, speaks to the Financial Times in his office in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 30, 2017. [Sam Tarling for the Financial Times]](https://www-ft-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/__origami/service/image/v2/images/raw/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ft.com%2F__origami%2Fservice%2Fimage%2Fv2%2Fimages%2Fraw%2Fhttp%253A%252F%252Fcom.ft.imagepublish.upp-prod-eu.s3.amazonaws.com%252Fdfba1432-cdf9-11e7-947e-f1ea5435bcc7%3Fsource%3Dnext-article%26fit%3Dscale-down%26quality%3Dhighest%26width%3D700%26dpr%3D1?source=next&fit=scale-down&dpr=2&width=340)
