The Structure of the Association of Banks in Lebanon (ABL) is composed of the following:
The General Assembly
It is composed of all operating member banks. It has reporting and voting prerogatives stipulated in the bylaws.
The General Assembly meets once at least per year. It elects or re-elects the members of the Board of Directors. It also listens to the report of the Board of Directors about its activities for the past year and about the execution of the budget for the same year. Moreover, the General Assembly ratifies the budget set up by the Board of Directors for the coming year. It also convenes when need be, according to the situations stipulated in the bylaws. It solely has the right to amend the bylaws, with a three-quarter majority of the members.
The Board of Directors
It is the higher executive authority, elected by the General Assembly for two years. It delineates the ABL policy to achieve its objectives, setting up its administrative and internal regulations. It also adopts its annual budget and its periodical reports, presents propositions and recommendations to the relevant official parties, designates the Secretary General and the temporary and permanent commissions, and decides of the adherence to the international unions and organizations and of the filing of or involvement in lawsuits.
The Board elects, among its members, a president, a vice – president, a secretary and a treasurer, constituting altogether the Bureau of the Board. The Board of the Directors holds periodical (monthly) meetings with the Governor and Vice-Governors of the Banque du Liban (Central Bank) and the Banking Control Commission. The conclusions of these meetings will be generalized to all operating banks in Lebanon.
The Secretariat General
The structure of the Secretariat General comprises 4 directorates:
- Administrative and financial directorate
- Directorate of studies and statistics
- Directorate of human resources training
- Directorate of communication and public relations
The Advisory Committees
The Advisory committees assist the ABL’s Board of Directors in its various activities and are particularly in charge of the following:
- Assisting in studying draft circulars set up by the Banque du Liban (Central Bank) and by the Banking Control Commission, and bills set up and submitted by the Parliament.
- Recommending amendments to be introduced to draft circulars and laws and undertaking studies in specific economic, financial and banking fields.
- Providing counseling for the development of mechanisms and conditions for the banking professions in all its elements and branches.