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Lebanon VideosExport Strategy of Chateau Kefraya
Over the past 10 years, Chateau Kefraya has been able to double the number of its export markets from 20 to 40 countries.
Due to the limited production, the export strategy for Chateau Kefraya is to focus on a high end restaurants and boutique wine shops. The major export markets remains Europe, primarily the UK, and then the US. Kefraya’s plan is to open up to the new markets such as Brazil and India.
Commenting on the plans to expand to China, Mr. Majdalani denounced such plans because of the limited production.

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Lebanon VideosUnique Wines of Chateau Kefraya
At Chateau Kefraya, one of the leading wine producers in Lebanon, the process of wine-making is synonymous with art, of composing the great variety of flavors to produce truly unique wines only found at Kefraya.

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Lebanon VideosNo. 1 Tourism Attraction in Lebanon
When travelling to Lebanon, there are many tourism magnets: ancient roman temples, nightlife in Beirut, cedars that remember the biblical times, secluded monasteries overlooking scenic Lebanese Landscape … and yet there is another tourism attraction than wines in Lebanon.
Lebanon is among the oldest sites of wine production in the world. The re-emergence of wines in Lebanon dates to the 1960s when the wine industry in Lebanon saw the birth of the 3 main wine manufacturers: Chateau Ksara, Chateau Kefraya and Chateau Musar.
Lebanese wines are no more an export articles but there is a tangible tourism to visit the estates. The pioneer in oenotourism in Lebanon is Chateau Kefraya. Emile Majdalani, Director of Exports, talks about the attractions Chateau Kefraya can offer to those passing by or visiting Lebanon.

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Lebanon VideosBirth of Wine Production in Lebanon: Wine Industry in Lebanon
Over the past 40 years Lebanon used to have 3-5 producers of wine. In the mid 90’s and onwards 15-20 wine makers entered the Lebanese market. During the last 5 years the number of wine makers in Lebanon almost doubled, reaching 30-35 producers.
Lebanon is more and better positioned on the Global wine map and the local wine industry is blooming. Thus the industry is getting more competitive. The wine industry heavyweights – such as Chateau Kefraya – believe that this is an excellent trend as more wine makers could make more noise in the world and promote the destination Lebanon as a truly wine producing superpower.
In order to become more competitive, Lebanon has to further increase the production from the existing 8 million bottles by at least 50% to better impose itself on the wine makers map.

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Lebanon VideosChateau Kefraya: Pinnacle of Lebanese Winemaking
Chateau Kefraya received certain awards…
Emile Majdalani, Director of Exports at Chateau Kefraya, claims that “critique is more important than the awards”. Mr. Majdalani highlights the critique of Robert Parker, a leading wine juror, who writes: “Chateau Kefraya – remember the name – 1996 Compte de M (91 points)… Kefraya’s Compte de M should provide further proof that Lebanon has selected viniculture sites that can be turned out into a world-class wine.”
Another influential Canadian wine connoisseur, Michel Phanaf agrees with Parker and compares Kefraya’s Compte de M to the Grand Wines of Bordeaux – a very prestigious acclaim.

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Lebanon VideosMain Challenges of Wine Industry in Lebanon
One of the main challenges that Lebanese wine industry faces is political instability. Because most of the Chateau Kefraya production (60%) is sold in the local market, consumer confidence is crucial.
Second major challenge is to keep up with European wines – as Lebanon completes the Euro-Med agreement, which stipulates 0% tax and import duties on wine imports and exports. The main producers in Lebanon should brace up for ever increasing competition from established European producers.

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Lebanon VideosAbout BML Istisharat
BML Istisharat, a leading core banking and insurance software provider in Lebanon, started as a consultancy company during the 1970s.
After the war broke out the local currency devalued and the market for consulting withered. However, the ingenuity of Lebanese businessmen helped to spin around the company and seek new opportunities outside Lebanon.
A devalued local currency and the success of Lebanese banking sector helped to devise a new strategy. BML Istisharat had to first dollarize the expenses, pushing the company abroad and second to re-orient itself to serve the infant boom of the banking and insurance sector.
Afterwards, the company then established the strategic partnerships with Oracle, IBM and other industry heavyweight that helped to propel BML Istisharat’s success to become the leading provider of core banking and insurance software in the Middle East.
Mr. Faddoul adds that the success story of BML Istisharat is far from being over: “BML Istisharat is now expanding to Malaysia and Russia while keeping presence at more mature markets of the West and Africa.”

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Lebanon VideosFuture of Cloud Computing in Banking Sector
A leading provider of core banking and insurance software based in Lebanon believes that the banking and insurance sector is not ready for cloud computing due to confidential nature of the business which is unlikely to change.

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Lebanon VideosCore Banking Trend: Convergence of Core Banking and Insurance Software
Joe Faddoul, CEO of BML Istisharat, a leading provider of core banking and insurance software based in Lebanon describes a new trend in the core banking and insurance software.

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Lebanon VideosStrategy of BML Istisharat
The strategy for the leading provider of core banking and insurance software is clear. To consolidate the market, grow in the emerging new markets and to be up to date with the technical standards.

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Lebanon VideosMain Advantages of BML’s Core Banking and Insurance Software
According to Joe Faddoul, CEO of BML Istisharat, a leading provider of core banking and insurance software based in Lebanon the name of the game in the core banking and insurance software industry is flexibility, parametrization, keeping the costs down and superior service.
He believes that Lebanese business model is poised to capitalize on the opportunities the globalization offers because it complies with these 3 attributes.

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Lebanon VideosChallenges of IT Sector in Lebanon
Despite the boom in Lebanese IT sector, the industry does face certain problems, says Joe Faddoul.
Lebanese IT sector shares the classic problems of IT industry: access to talented workforce does not exist despite the fact that Lebanon is a home of the best universities in the region.
Paradoxically, the biggest challenge when exporting the IT services and products is the legacy of war-torn country which Lebanon received after the wars of 1970s-90s.
Mr. Faddoul admits that people are concerned with stability in Lebanon and so need to be assured that their supplier will be able to deliver the products and services as agreed.

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Lebanon VideosImpact of Globalization on IT Companies
Joe Faddoul, CEO of BML Istisharat, a leading provider of core banking and insurance software based in Lebanon believes that globalization offers unprecedented opportunities for SMEs in the IT sector. Due to globalization the companies are opening up to new ideas, new suppliers and new business models – this creating a niche for agile IT companies.

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Lebanon VideosLebanon: IT Sector is Booming
Lebanon has many competitive advantages to develop its own home-made IT industry.
Joe Faddoul, a Lebanese IT entrepreneur talks about the IT sector in Lebanon, expectations from the government, local talent and tremendous growth through which the sector is going at the moment.
According to Mr. Faddoul, “Lebanese market cannot absorb all the IT and thus IT must be exported.”
True to his words, his own company – a leading supplier of core banking and insurance software – BML Istisharat is exporting almost 60% of the services to the U.S., Western Europe, the Middle East and lately to South East Asian markets and Russia.
Commenting on the growth of the Lebanese IT industry, Mr. Faddoul adds that BML Istisharat is growing at 16%-17% annually, which correlates with the industry growth rate of 25%, a figure supplied by Dal Hitti, General Manager of Association of Lebanese Software Industry.

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Lebanon VideosRussian Market for Core Banking Software
Russia’s 2000+ banks, that are currently trying to modernize and seeking to adopt the industry best practices, are a tremendous opportunity for suppliers of top notch core banking and insurance software like BML Istisharat.
According to Mr. Faddoul, Russian banks are trying to modernize and the fastest way of modernizing is to directly adopt core banking and insurance software.