Accept card payments in Lebanon

Since the 2019 financial crisis, everyday spending in Lebanon has largely moved to cash in US dollars, alongside the Lebanese pound. Locally issued cards are used less than before, and money transfer and wallet networks such as OMT and Whish carry much of the movement of money between people and businesses.

Lebanon also has one of the largest diasporas relative to its size, and much spending on Lebanese goods and services comes from family abroad using foreign-issued cards. For a merchant, the realistic starting point is cross-border: international cards and express wallets behind one integration, 3DS on card-not-present payments and retries across acquirers, with sanctions screening and compliance checks before onboarding.