Fenicia Bank

What Fenicia Bank does

Fenicia Bank is a privately held Lebanese commercial bank headquartered in Beirut Central District (Foch Street), founded in 1959 and operating as a Société Anonyme Libanaise (S.A.L.). The bank is majority-owned by the Achour family (74% of capital), with the Maacaron family holding 15%, the Merhi family 10%, and other shareholders holding 1%; it has no parent company and no subsidiaries. It serves retail customers, SMEs, corporate clients, and Lebanese expatriates through a network of 18 branches across Lebanon (Beirut, Mount Lebanon, South Lebanon, Nabatieh, Tripoli) complemented by an ATM network, a card network (Mastercard and Visa partnerships), and the ESAB online banking platform.

The product portfolio spans four deposit account types (current, time deposit, term savings, sight savings), retail loans (personal, housing, car), commercial lending (international trade finance, long-term and short-term funding), specialized government-backed programs (Kafalat-guaranteed SME loans and subsidized loans), and a tiered card suite (Bankernet debit, Mastercard Standard/Gold/Platinum, Visa Classic/Gold, Web Surfer prepaid). Ancillary services include POS merchant acquiring, safe deposit boxes, foreign exchange, bill payment and domiciliation, mobile phone recharge via ATM, and expatriate-focused multi-currency banking ('Allo Lebanese Expatriates'). The digital surface is limited to the ESAB e-banking platform, an IBAN simulator covering ~50 countries, and a mechanical inquiry tool for Lebanese vehicle fee calculation.

The revenue model is anchored in net interest income from the lending book, supplemented by transaction fees (account management, forex, safe box rentals), card-related revenue (annual fees $7-$250 across tiers, interchange, ATM usage), and commissions on trade finance and POS. Distribution is sales-led through the physical branch network, supported by self-serve digital channels. The bank has invested disproportionately in compliance and governance — its independent board includes a former Federal Reserve Assistant Director (Sarkis Yoghourtdjian, AML Committee Chair), an AUB accounting professor (Samer Khalil, Audit Committee Chair), and an LAU strategic management professor (Georges Najjar, Risk Committee Chair) — and has received AML/CFT and branch management recognition from the International Union of Arab Bankers (2019) and the World Union of Arab Bankers (2016, 2017).

Name

Fenicia Bank

Legal name

Fenicia Bank S.A.L.

Website

https://feniciabank.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Fenicia Bank is a privately held Lebanese commercial bank headquartered in Beirut, founded in 1959, serving retail customers, SMEs, corporates, and Lebanese expatriates through 18 domestic branches, an ATM network, and the ESAB e-banking platform, with deposits, lending, and card services as its core revenue lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail and Commercial Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110), Commercial Banking (52211), Depository Credit Intermediation (5221)

SIC

State Commercial Banks (6022), Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)

akta.pro primary industry

Mass-Market Consumer Deposit Banking (Checking/Savings) (FSABAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

SME Deposits & Business Accounts (Operating, Savings, CDs) (FSABABAC)

Keywords

• Retail banking services
• Commercial lending
• Consumer deposits
• Payment cards
• Trade finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Beirut

HQ country

Lebanon

HQ region

Middle East

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Interest Income: Interest earned from lending activities including personal loans, housing loans, car loans, commercial loans, international trade financing, and specialized loans (Kafalat, subsidized loans)
2. Fee-based Services: Account management fees, forex services, safe box rentals, bills domiciliation, mobile phone recharge services, and commission fees
3. Card-related Revenue: Annual fees from credit and debit cards (Mastercard and Visa variants), transaction commissions, and ATM usage fees

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fenicia Bank is a Lebanese commercial bank providing retail and commercial banking products including deposit accounts (current, savings, term deposits), personal and business loans, trade finance, payment cards (Mastercard and Visa), and electronic banking services. The bank serves individuals, SMEs, corporations, and Lebanese expatriates through a network of 18 branches across Lebanon.

Product overview

Fenicia Bank is a Lebanese commercial bank offering a comprehensive suite of banking products. The core offering includes four types of deposit accounts (current, time deposit, term savings, sight savings), retail loans (personal, housing, car loans), commercial lending (international trade, long/short term funding), and specialized financing programs (Kafalat, subsidized loans). The card portfolio spans debit (Bankernet), charge cards across multiple tiers (Visa Classic, Visa Gold, Mastercard Standard, Gold, Platinum), and prepaid options (Web Surfer). Additional services include merchant services (POS), utility payments, safe deposit boxes, forex services, e-banking, mobile recharge, and expatriate banking solutions. The bank operates 18 branches across Lebanon.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Current Account Standard transactional deposit account for individuals and businesses, allowing unlimited deposits and withdrawals through branches and electronic channels.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Byblos Bank Europe S.A.coreOthersCorrespondent bank relationship in Belgium, Brussels for international banking operations
• The Bank of New York MelloncoreOthersCorrespondent bank relationship in Frankfurt, Germany for international settlements and trade services
• ABC International BankcoreOthersCorrespondent banking relationship for international banking operations
• Banca UBAE SPAcoreOthersCorrespondent bank in Rome, Italy for international trade and banking services
• Bank of Africa Europe SAcoreOthersCorrespondent bank in Madrid, Spain for international banking coverage
• The British Arab Commercial BankcoreOthersCorrespondent bank in London, UK for Arab trade and financial services
• Bank Of Beirut (UK) LTDcoreOthersCorrespondent banking relationship in United Kingdom
• MastercardcoreTechnology or IntegrationCard network partnership providing Mastercard Standard, Gold, and Platinum charge cards to bank customers
• VisacoreTechnology or IntegrationCard network partnership providing Visa Classic and Visa Gold cards to bank customers
• American University of Beirut (AUB) - Olayan School of BusinesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partnership with annual awards program including Fenicia Bank Excellence Award in Finance and Fenicia Bank Leadership Award, supporting outstanding finance students since 2011

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Société Générale de Banque au Liban (SGBL): Private Lebanese commercial bank delivering retail deposits, cards, loans and trade finance through a domestic branch network. Comparable as a Lebanese mid-sized full-service competitor.
• BLC Bank: Lebanese private bank offering retail, SME and private banking services domestically. Comparable as a Lebanese private competitor with similar customer profile and product mix.
• Credit Libanais SAL: Lebanese private commercial bank with retail accounts, lending, cards and trade finance across a Lebanese branch network. Closely comparable to Fenicia in scale, ownership profile (family-controlled) and product offering.
• Bank of Beirut: Lebanese commercial bank offering retail deposits, loans, cards and trade finance through a multi-branch network. Directly comparable to Fenicia as a mid-sized, Lebanon-domestic full-service bank with similar retail/SME product mix.
• Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi: Lebanese private bank offering retail accounts, lending, cards and treasury services. Comparable as a private Lebanese competitor serving overlapping retail and SME segments.
• Fransabank Group: Lebanese commercial bank offering retail deposits, SME and corporate loans, cards and trade finance domestically. Comparable as another private Lebanese full-service bank competing for similar retail and commercial customers.

Others

• Bank of Cyprus: Levantine-headquartered commercial bank with retail and SME banking across Cyprus and Greece. Indirectly comparable as a regionally relevant mid-sized bank with retail/SME focus and historical Lebanese diaspora client nexus, though not a Lebanese-domestic competitor.

Broad incumbents

• BLOM Bank (now Bank of Kuwait and the Orient): Historic top-tier Lebanese banking group with a wide retail, corporate and private banking franchise. Comparable as a Lebanese full-service commercial bank competing for the same retail and commercial customers, though at materially larger scale.
• Bank Audi: Largest private Lebanese banking group with extensive retail, commercial, SME and corporate banking across the country and region. Comparable as a domestic competitor across Fenicia's full product suite, but at significantly larger scale.
• Byblos Bank: One of Lebanon's largest privately held banks with a much broader branch and product footprint. Comparable in retail/commercial/SME banking but a clearly larger, more diversified Lebanese incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/feniciabank

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fenicia Bank