Ph. D. in Financial and Monetary Economics, Sciences Po Bordeaux (Bordeaux, France)
MSc Banking and Finance, Paris-Sorbonne University (Paris, France)
BA Economics, Saint Joseph University (Beirut, Lebanon)

Joseph Bitar specializes in Financial and Monetary Economics. He holds a PhD from Sciences Po Bordeaux and a Master’s degree from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He is known for his groundbreaking contributions to the study of dollarized monetary systems. He has several other scientific contributions in central banking, and banking theory and regulation.

In his early career, Dr. Bitar worked for five years in asset management, and for two years in investment banking at Société Generale in Paris. He taught economics and finance at leading French business schools and universities before joining AUD as an assistant professor of economics.

Fields of expertise: Financial Economics - Monetary Economics - International Finance - Central Banking - Financial Regulation - Investment Banking - Asset Management - Financial Markets

Publications:

• Bitar J. (2025), The case for a less deposit-intensive banking model – forthcoming in Journal of Banking Regulation (Springer Nature)
  https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41261-024-00260-z

• Bitar J., The international liquidity concept and developing economies foreign exchange markets, World Economics, 25(4), December 2024
  https://www.world-economics-journal.com/Papers/The-International-Liquidity-Concept-and-Developing-Economies-Foreign-Exchange-Markets.aspx?ID=934

• Bitar J., A note on reserve requirements and banks liquidity, International Journal of Finance and Economic (Wiley), 27(4), October 2022, pp. 4837-4852
  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ijfe.2403

• Bitar J., Dollar liquidity, money and credit in a small open dollarized economy, Ensayos Económicos - Central Bank of Argentina, No. 79, May 2022, pp. 5-39
  http://www.bcra.gov.ar/PublicacionesEstadisticas/Resumen_ensayos.asp?id=1583

• Bitar J., Boileau M., Emerging markets interest rates, international reserves and net foreign assets, Journal of Globalization and Development (De Gruyter), 12(2), December 2021, pp. 145-180
  https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/jgd-2020-0079/html

• Bitar J., The monetary crisis of Lebanon, Review of Middle East Economics and Finance (De Gruyter), 17(2), August 2021, pp. 71-96
  https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/rmeef-2020-0050/html

• Bitar J., Foreign currency intermediation: systemic risk and macroprudential regulation, Latin American Journal of Central Banking (Elsevier), 2(2), June 2021
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666143821000089

• Bitar J., The unique dollarization case of Lebanon, Economic Systems (Elsevier), 45(2), June 2021
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0939362520300728