IDAL partnered with Astrolab and Bader Young Entrepreneurs Program for the “Scaling Online Startups” (SOS) workshop from 5 till 7 July.

The workshop brought together more than 10 companies involved in e-commerce activities. The aim of the partnership is to highlight opportunities in the ICT sector and encourage investments in the sector.  E-commerce in Lebanon is presenting significant opportunities for regional businesses and investors as it remains an untapped market with currently around 10% of the Lebanese internet users only shopping online. In 2013, the online market in Lebanon is expected to witness significant growth with  the increasing consumers’ trust in online payment systems.   Various online payment gateways  and initiatives by the Lebanese banking sector such as PayPal and Emall by Bank Audi  are expected to boost online sales in the coming months and stimulate the e-commerce market in Lebanon.

In this issue, you will find information on potential projects in Q1 and Q2, the 2012 annual report, a zoom-in on a successful Lebanese company called Call Center International, as well as a round-up of last month's events. Featured in this newsletter is also our latest publication's release, a Guide on Licenses and Permits in Lebanon. 

To download this issue, please click here.

We participated at the "Mediterranean Transit Migration Interactive Map Expert Meeting" under the subject of " Migrant Entrepreneurship -Migration and Development" which took place in Marseille on June 12-13.

The project is financed by the European Union and organized by  the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the  International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). IDAL was represented by Chairman Itani who gave a presentation on "Lebanese Immigrants: Fostering Migrant Entrepreneurship".

The Ministry of Economy and Trade is organising along with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) a workshop on patents and intellectual property from 10-13 June.
The workshop is part of WIPO Training of Trainers Program on Effective Intellectual Property Asset Management by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The event is free of charge. If interested to attend, please check this link for the provisional program and registration.