Do Lebanese commercial banks give home mortgages in 2026?

Also asked as: “Are Lebanese banks giving home loans again after the crisis?” · “Can I get a mortgage from a Lebanese bank in 2026?” · “Is there any home loan in Lebanon besides BDH?” · “Lebanese bank mortgage for expats”

What is reported, and what nobody has published#

As of autumn 2026, the business and news press say Lebanese commercial banks are still not writing home mortgages and that long-term mortgage credit is largely absent^[1,2]. The sources are news reports (EnterpriseAM in September 2026 and Libnanews in October 2026), not the banks themselves. We found no 2026 home-loan product page from any commercial bank and no Banque du Liban circular on housing credit. Possible exceptions, such as loans to bank staff or private arrangements, are not documented anywhere.

Sellers say the same. Assukna, a property venture whose founder wrote the piece in April 2026, advises buyers from the diaspora not to rely on a Lebanese bank mortgage and says real deals are all-cash in USD^[7]. Assukna sells property, so read that as one seller's view.

For a definite answer on your own case, only the banks can tell you. Ask each bank in writing whether it offers a home purchase loan, in which currency, for what term, at what rate, with what down payment, and to whom.

How it worked before 2019#

According to LCPS, before the crisis, housing loans through commercial banks, the Public Corporation for Housing (PCH, set up in 1996) and the Housing Bank carried 3 to 5% interest over 30 years with 20% down. LCPS says this policy stopped in 2018^[5]. EnterpriseAM dates the stop to 2019, when the crisis ended the Banque du Liban credit line that had subsidised PCH loans through commercial banks for two decades^[1].

The two bodies still in the news are different. PCH is fully state-run and subsidises loans that commercial banks write. BDH is a bank in its own right, 80% owned by private banks and insurers and 20% by the state^[1]. More in the difference between PCH and BDH loans.

What you can use instead#

BDH reopened applications in June 2024 on an Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development credit line of about USD 163-165 million^[1,6]. It is open to residents and expatriates^[3,4,8]. For the USD 100,000 loan, BDH requires USD 2,500 to 5,000 a month (family net income). The down payment is at least 20% down; loan at most 80%^[3,4], measured against the bank's own valuation, so if BDH values the home below the agreed price, you pay the difference in cash. The home must be family housing only: using it any other way ends the contract and makes the whole loan due at once. The full list is in BDH loan conditions.

The BDH rate, as of October 2026, is 5.75% a year (APR 6.33%)^[1,3,6], and BDH's page says it is subject to amendment. Its February 2026 Key Fact Statement fixes the rate for the first year only, and the APR leaves out notary and registration fees and the fire insurance premium.

As of September 2026, PCH and the Social Affairs Minister had asked for USD 100 million requested, at 3.5%^[1] in the draft 2027 budget. That is a request in a draft, and other reports circulate a lower figure that we could not confirm. The Finance Minister sent the draft to the Cabinet on 31 August 2026. It still needs Cabinet review and a vote in Parliament. Follow it in when PCH loans restart.

Most buyers pay cash. JSK Real Estate, a broker, says that with no loans available, purchases in 2025 were paid in full in cash or by bank transfer, mostly in USD^[9,10]. R.E.A.L president Walid Moussa told The Beiruter that buying in 2025 was concentrated among expatriates, some local investors and cash holders^[2,11]. If you live abroad, see how to pay without a mortgage.