On the occasion of the end of Mandate of the Head of the Union of Arab Banks, the Association of Banks in Lebanon organized a lunch in honor of Mr. Adnan Youssef at the Phoenicia Hotel on February 21st, 2013, in the presence of Finance Minister, Mr. Mohamad Safadi, the Governer of BDL, Mr. Riad Salameh, ABL Board Members and banking personalities.
Dr. Joseph Torbey delivered a speech on this occasion in which he said: “Honoring Mr. Youssef stems from my knowledge of his performance and an appreciation of his role in servicing the Arab banks and specially Lebanon and its banking sector”. He spoke also of the high cost of revolution “which we are living now, on both economical and humanitarian levels, and is beyond the potential of governments and people concerned”. Hence the call for Arab banks to be prepared for the reconstruction phase after the return of stability because “no spring can emerge without reconstruction and requirements for economic needs”…
Mr. Youssef replied, confirming that he has given the Union the time needed and “and believed in the vocation which met my conviction of building a better future for our Arab banking sector, that is well-deserved because it has capabilities and competencies that enable to make banking and financial policies to the world. This is my vision to the Union of Arab Banks since the beginning of my career with the Board of Directors, and this is what I expect for its future role”…
Mr. Youssef held in the morning of the same day a press conference where he presented the results of the Arabic Banking Sector in 2012 and its role in supporting the Arab economies.