For the second year in a row, Lebanon’s Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh has been awarded a top “A” grade among 94 central bank governors in the world in the 2019 report of Global Finance, one of the most important economic magazines in the world.
The Central Banker Report Card, which is released annually by the U.S.-based Global Finance magazine since 1994, graded the central bankers in 94 countries and regions for 2019 in which Salameh was granted a “Class A” rating score, maintaining the rank he had previously received in 2011, 2017 and 2018.
Salameh stood amongst several central bankers receiving a grade A in the report card central bankers: Australia, Kuwait, Morocco, Russia, South Korea, Iceland, Honduras, and Mexico; all awarded an ‘A’ status.
The grading is based on an “A” to “F” scale for progress in areas, including but not limited to factors like:
- Inflation control,
- Economic growth goals,
- Currency stability and interest rate management.
From his side, Global Finance publisher and editorial director Joseph Giarraputo stated, “With trade disputes and political instability gaining steam, nations look to central bank leaders to be steady hands on the world’s economic tillers, and this year’s top-rated bankers demonstrate just that kind of stable leadership, whether they are steering their nation through stormy times or battening the hatches with an eye to clouds on the horizon.”
All Central Banker Report Cards from 2019 will be published in the coming October issue of the Global Finance. Central bankers who have just received an “A” or “A-” grade will be honored at Global Finance’s 26th Annual Best Bank Award that will be held at the National Press Club in Washington DC, also in October, during the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings.
Riad Salameh is a Lebanese banker and current Governor of the Banque du Liban – the central bank of Lebanon since August 1st, 1993. He is also a member of the Board of Governors at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and at the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF).
Salameh has been honored by many agencies and international magazines worldwide. Throughout his tenure, the governor was credited for maintaining robust monetary stability and protecting the Lebanese pound against mounting political and economic difficulties.
