The consolidated balance sheet of commercial banks operating in Lebanon shows that total assets stood at $203.8bn at the end of May 2020, constituting a decrease of 6% from $216.8bn at the end of 2019 and a decline of 19.6% from $253.6bn at end-May 2019. The year-on-year decline in assets is mainly due to the "netting" on the assets and liabilities' sides of the consolidated balance sheet of banks, as part of the implementation of international accounting standard IFRS 7 starting in December 2019.

Loans extended to the private sector reached $42.9bn at the end of May 2020, and regressed by 13.8% from end-2019 and by 23.8% from a year earlier. Loans to the resident private sector totaled $37.7bn, constituting a decrease of 14.7% from the end of 2019 and of 24.2% from end-May 2019. Also, credit to the non-resident private sector reached $5.2bn at the end of May 2020, declining by 6.2% from end-2019 and by 21.2% from a year earlier. In nominal terms, credit to the private sector contracted by $6.9bn in the first five months of 2020 relative to a decrease of $3.1bn in the same period of 2019, as lending to the resident private sector declined by $6.5bn and credit to the non-resident private sector regressed by $343.3m in the covered period. The dollarization rate of private sector loans fell from 69.7% at end-May 2019 to 64.7% at end-May 2020.

In addition, claims on non-resident financial institutions stood at $4.7bn at the end of May 2020 and declined by $2.1bn (-30.3%) from the end of 2019, by $4.4bn (-48.4%) from end-August 2019, and by $4.6bn (-49.3%) from the end of May 2019. Also, deposits at foreign central banks totaled $507.6m, constituting a decrease of 14% from end-2019 and a drop of 45% from end-May 2019. In addition, claims on the public sector reached $24.7bn at end-May 2020, down by $4bn (-13.8%) from end-2019 and by $7.9bn (-24.3%) from the end of May 2019. The banks' holdings of Lebanese Treasury bills stood at $14bn at the end of May 2020, down by $637.2m (-4.4%) from the end of 2019; while their holdings of Lebanese Eurobonds reached $10.5bn at end-May 2020, constituting a decline of $3.3bn (-24%) from end-2019. The average lending rate in Lebanese pounds was 8.45% in May 2020 compared to 10.75% a year earlier, while the same rate in US dollars was 7.9% relative to 9.54% in May 2019. Further, the deposits of commercial banks at BdL totaled $115.7bn at the end of May 2020, down by 1.7% from $117.7bn at the end of 2019 and by 18% from $140.9bn at the end of May 2019, following the netting operation. 

In parallel, private sector deposits totaled $146.3bn at the end of May 2020, and decreased by 8% from the end of 2019 and by 14.4% from end-May 2019. Deposits in Lebanese pounds reached the equivalent of $30bn at end-May 2020, and declined by 21.5% from the end of 2019 and by 39.2% from a year earlier; while deposits in foreign currency stood at $116.4bn, as they regressed by 3.6% from end-2019 and by 4.3% from end-May 2019. Resident deposits totaled $117.2bn at the end of May 2020 and decreased by $9.2bn (-7.3%) from the end of 2019 and by $17.3bn (-13%) from a year earlier. Also, non-resident deposits reached $29.1bn at end-May 2020, as they regressed by $3.4bn (-10.4%) from end-2019 and by $7.2bn (-20%) from the end of May 2019. In nominal terms, private sector deposits declined by $3.8bn in January, by $3.4bn in February, by $2.1bn in March, by $2.1bn in April and by $1.22bn in May 2020. As such, aggregate private sector deposits regressed by $12.6bn in the first five months of 2020 relative to a decrease of $3.4bn in the same period of 2019, with deposits in Lebanese pounds dropping by $8.2bn and foreign-currency deposits declining by $4.36bn. In comparison, private sector deposits declined by $2.2bn in September, by $1.9bn in October, by $5.8bn in November and by $3.7bn in December 2019. As such, aggregate private sector deposits dropped by $26.24bn in the nine-month period ending in May 2020, due largely to the repayment of loans, to the hoarding of cash at households, to deposit outflows, and to the buying of real estate. The dollarization rate of private sector deposits was 79.6% at end-May 2020, up from 76% at the end of 2019, and compared to 71.2% in May 2019.

In parallel, the liabilities of non-resident financial institutions reached $7.8bn at the end of May 2020 and decreased by 11.5% from end-2019. Further, the average deposit rate in Lebanese pounds was 4.63% in May 2020 compared to 8.72% a year earlier, while the same rate in US dollars was 1.99% relative to 5.79% in May 2019. The ratio of private sector loans to deposits in foreign currency stood at 23.8% at the end of May 2020 compared to 32.3% a year earlier. The same ratio in Lebanese pounds reached 50.7% at end-May 2020 relative to 34.7% from a year earlier. As such, the total private sector loans-to-deposits ratio reached 29.3% compared to 33% at end-May 2019. The banks' aggregate capital base stood at $20.3bn at end-May 2020, down by 3.8% from $21.1bn a year earlier.