Alain Bifani is dedicated to improving the lives of all those living in Lebanon’s borders. Bifani is a proven leader and a seasoned financial expert with over 20 years of experience with national and global financial institutions.
In 2000, Bifani was appointed Director General of the Ministry of Finance, the youngest person to be appointed a director general in Lebanon. Bifani still maintains this position today and is notable for implementing change in a complex multicultural environment where obedience to clans supersedes allegiance to institutions.
Throughout his career, Bifani has been able to implement major reforms despite strong resistance from the Lebanese establishment. He has proven successful in managing national finances during major crises and the absence of a government budget for more than 12 years.
Transparency is at the heart of Bifani’s work. He has introduced electronic taxation, taxpayers’ services, and a code of ethics. Recently, Bifani led Lebanon’s tax transparency upgrade program, lifting Lebanon from non-compliant to largely compliant according to the Global Forum for Tax Transparency and the OECD. Bifani championed his transparency project through intense lobbying at local and national levels to eliminate banking secrecy for non-resident accounts, consistent follow-up on the implementation and drafting of legislation related to transparency.
Bifani is currently writing his thesis in Economics at Paris I La Sorbonne. He holds a B.Eng in Optics and Telecommunication from the Ecole Superieure d’Optique (France) and a higher degree in Management and Finance from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC), France.
Born on July 4, 1968, Bifani is married to Sandra Habchi. They have two children: Paolo and Clara. Bifani speaks English, French and Arabic fluently, and has working knowledge of Spanish.