Lebanon’s new central bank governor vowed Friday that the institution will fight money laundering and the financing of terrorism and will work independently away from political intervention, the Associated Press reported. Karim Souaid, who was speaking after officially taking office in Beirut, added that he will work on restructuring the banking sector, public debt and returning money to depositors. Lebanon’s economy has been witnessing its worst crisis in its modern history since 2019 and the state must implement reforms demanded by the international community.

Israeli tech entrepreneur Moshe Yanai denied insolvency claims on Sunday, asserting that he holds significant assets through his investment firm, MII, YNetNews.com reported. According to a U.S. court ruling, MII’s portfolio is valued at approximately $1.1 billion — or several hundred million dollars at a minimum. Tech mogul Moshe Yanai denies insolvency, cites $1.1B MII portfolio in Tel Aviv court battle. Yanai made the argument in a request to halt legal proceedings, filed Sunday with the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court, in response to a bankruptcy petition by the investment fund Scintilla.

Dubai is weighing significant changes to its rules governing money managers to further burnish the city’s credentials as an emerging hub for hedge funds, Bloomberg News reported. The Dubai Financial Services Authority is undergoing a sweeping review of its slate of regulations with the goal of removing unnecessary regulatory burden and lowering barriers to entry, according to a spokesperson for the agency. The DFSA regulates the Dubai International Financial Centre, a hub for many fund managers. Already, the agency has proposed cutting minimum capital thresholds for some money managers.

Israel's banking regulator on Wednesday asked commercial banks to allocate up to 3 billion shekels ($841 million) through 2026 to fund relief for retail customers and to improve interest terms offered to clients hurt by the 16-month old war, Reuters reported.

Lebanon's new government will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new programme and will work to deal with the country's financial default and public debt, according a policy statement approved by the cabinet late on Monday, Reuters reported. The statement said that the government would work for an economical revival that could only be achieved through restructuring the banking sector.

The question of who owns the European unit of Sam Bankman-Fried’s former crypto enterprise appeared to be settled: Dubai-based Backpack Exchange said that it had purchased FTX EU after months of wrangling, Bloomberg News reported. Backpack, a crypto trading platform founded by one-time employees of Bankman-Fried’s FTX and Alameda Research businesses, said the $32.7 million acquisition would expand its derivatives offerings in the region. But according to the US-based FTX estate, the ownership situation is less clear.

Egyptian inflation slowed to its lowest level in two years, easing the path for the North African nation’s first interest-rate cut since 2020, Bloomberg News reported. Annual consumer prices in urban areas rose 24.1% in December versus 25.5% the month before, the state statistics agency CAPMAS said Thursday, marking a second consecutive month of slowing. It was its lowest since December 2022, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The monthly inflation rate eased to 0.2% from 0.5% in November.