How do people in Lebanon pay online?
Cash on delivery leads. The World Bank’s Global Findex survey found that 4.88% of Lebanese adults used a phone or the internet to buy something online in 2024. Of all adults, 2.97% paid cash on delivery for an online purchase and 1.91% paid online. The US Commercial Service, in its guide last updated in February 2026, says cash on delivery remains prevalent because of consumer preferences and trust issues, with a gradual shift to digital payments as smartphone apps spread.
Cash dominates everyday payments. BLOMINVEST Bank describes the economy as mostly, but not entirely, cash based: currency in circulation rose from LBP 5.39 trillion in January 2018 to LBP 84.93 trillion in January 2025. Findex puts account ownership at 23.04% of adults in 2024, against 44.75% in 2017, and debit card ownership at 13.37%. In February 2026 the IMF welcomed efforts to reduce the cash economy and said they would be helped greatly by a return of confidence in the banking system.
Fresh dollar cards are the main digital option. The same US guide says online payments are made by cash on delivery or by fresh dollar debit and credit cards linked to foreign currency accounts.
Licensed transfer companies fill the gaps. Banque du Liban lists more than 20 electronic payment services providers, including OMT, BOB Finance, Whish Money, Cash United and Suyool. Whish Money runs a wallet with more than 1,000 locations in Lebanon and issues a free Whish Digital Visa Card for online purchases, which lets people who hold cash shop online with a card.
What rules shape online payments in Lebanon?
VAT is 11%. PwC’s tax summary gives the standard rate as 11%, with exports and international transport zero-rated and banking and financial services exempt. The 2024 Budget Law raised the threshold for mandatory registration from LL 100 million to LL 5 billion.
The exchange rate is set by the central bank. PwC notes that the highest official rate published by Banque du Liban is LL 89,500 per US dollar, the rate used for payroll and social security on foreign currency salaries. Fresh dollar cards are linked to foreign currency accounts, so checkout and settlement currency need a clear choice.
Bank deposits from before the crisis are still not freely available. In February 2026 the IMF described a draft Financial Stabilization and Depositor Recovery law, approved by Cabinet, as a first step towards giving depositors gradual access to their deposits.
E-commerce, payments and personal data have their own law. Law No. 81 of 2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data recognises electronic writing and signatures, regulates e-commerce contracts, covers payment orders, transfers, bank cards, electronic money and electronic cheques, and gives people rights to object to, correct, update or delete their personal data. It also amended the Consumer Protection Law, No. 659 of 2005, whose Chapter Ten covers distance and door-to-door sales.
Lebanon is on the FATF grey list. It has been under increased monitoring since October 2024, and the FATF’s June 2026 statement shows it still working through its action plan. The FATF does not call for enhanced due diligence on listed countries, but asks institutions to take the listing into account in their own risk analysis.
How would Omno route payments in Lebanon?
A merchant would connect once and set routing rules per method, currency and customer group. In Lebanon:
- Card pay-ins would be routed by BIN, so fresh dollar cards and wallet-issued Visa cards go to an acquirer that accepts Lebanese-issued cards, with cascading to the next provider in the rule if one is unavailable or rejects the request.
- Currency rules would send USD orders to providers that settle in dollars and keep LBP orders on providers that support the pound.
- Google Pay would run in the hosted checkout, and the card behind each wallet payment would follow the same BIN rules.
- Wallet payments from providers such as Whish Money could be added where a connected provider supports them, with the order pending until the wallet confirms payment.
Webhooks would report the final status of every payment, and the routing-decision log would show which provider handled each payment and why.
What should merchants plan for?
Plan for cash on delivery. More Lebanese online shoppers still pay on delivery than online, so a card checkout works best as a faster option next to it.
Plan for US dollar pricing. Fresh dollar cards and wallet cards are dollar based, so pricing and settling in USD avoids conversion questions.
Plan for fallbacks. Cascading to a second acquirer and offering Google Pay give each payment more than one route to complete.
Plan for compliance questions. With Lebanon on the FATF grey list, banks and providers may ask more about the business and its customers.