Producer and Presenter of the Financial News for MTV Lebanon TV station and the head of the economy department at the prestigious Annahar journal in Beirut; Maurice Matta has established himself as, not only a leader in financial journalism but also THE reference and the most reliable source in the Middle East region when it comes to economy and financial consulting.
Starting his career at a very young age, Maurice quickly realized that there is a market need to be specialized in the field of financial journalism. An economist at heart, he learned the art of not only reporting the news but also to provide solutions for decision makers. It’s this know-how and curiosity to find and create solutions which made him today a reference in his field.
Starting his career at a young age, one of his main challenges was that, he was not being taken seriously when presenting his consulting work to well-recognized businessman and market influencers. But with time, perseverance and continuous success he managed to overcome this challenge.
Today, Maurice Matta isn’t only a Middle-East economy expert but also an international consultant for many agencies from Europe and North-America that reach out to him for financial advice and recommendations regarding market trends.
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For Maurice, nowadays the live stream is the new TV, especially that we are sharing our knowledge with all the world very easily and on daily basis. It’s a huge responsibility because we have become a reference and not just only sharing and presenting the news.
These are the most important recommendations you can learn from our live conversation:
For entrepreneurs and job seekers
- There are no traditional jobs anymore, you will need to be an entrepreneur in what you do, with a mindset of looking for the return on investment. You will also need to be afraid that someone else will take your place. This is a motivation to keep pushing forward.
- A great recommendation for fresh graduates who are looking for jobs in the economy field or in any other field is that they will need to be specialized and work in niche markets. You will need to be unique and not just like everyone else. We are looking for those who have the +1. To be among that 1% you will need to be unique with the knowledge you have.
Entrepreneurs need to know that if they are not being attacked then they are average. You need haters. When you acquire more knowledge than those around you in the workplace, this will create hate and obstacles. Just like a talented ship captain, when faced with his tide he breaks it and continues his journey!
What entrepreneurs need is an Idea, money, and someone to give them trust. Nowadays, Entrepreneurs can create demand with solutions you didn’t know that you needed.
“Motivation is fueled by need. If everyone is successful then success doesn’t have a meaning. People who didn’t lose hope and persevere are those who succeed. We live in a jungle, the stronger will eat you; Sadly there are no more ethics. We are in a huge competition.” – Maurice Matta
- For Maurice, Ego is the first enemy of success. There are many entrepreneurs who spoke about their success story, they invested their energy in their image rather than their essence. We saw this at the BDL accelerate entrepreneurs conference, where banks are investing some of their money in startups.
Economy and Finance recommendations
- When it comes to the economy there are different schools and point of views. A huge problem we are facing in the Arab world is that there is a huge ignorance where we need to teach, educate so that we can truly participate.
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There is a misconception that politics and economy go hand in hand, Maurice argues that any political decision is initiated and fueled with an economical reason and purpose.
- When you take the Brexit example, the main reasons were economical. The UK was facing many challenges such as immigrants, Brussels’ monetary policy and the increase in European taxes. In fact, immigrants reduce your cost, yet they take the place of the locals and not pay the same taxes. When we talk about Lebanon, we do have 1.5 M Syrian refugees, should I give them all work permits when I have 33% Lebanese unemployment rate?
“What most journalists are doing, is shooting our economy in the foot, by just focusing on scandals without providing solutions. A good journalist reports the news but a great journalist asks the tough questions such as, how can I solve the problem? How can I invest my knowledge and get a return on investment with the best solutions? In fact, there is no need to show your dirty laundry. I am an economist, before being a news reporter. We need to have constructive criticism, a value we deeply miss.” – Maurice Matta
- Regarding fixing the value of the Lebanese currency, it’s the wisest decision, especially that we are not a manufacturing country, those who devalue their currency, like China, it’s to increase their export volume. We are a service oriented country, therefore our international competition is limited.
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Since 2005, the Lebanese government doesn’t have a budget and has kept the same spending strategy. Not even taking into consideration the inflation rate. We are currently having around 80 Bn $ in debt, with 6 Bn $ deficit. In this situation, politicians should be aware that raising taxes isn’t the best way to go. In fact, deficits exist because politicians are addicted to spending other people’s money, our first response should be to change the policies that got us here in the first place.
Maurice Matta, is one of those Lebanese talents that we, as a society, take for granted. I hope that this small article and interview can be considered as a token of respect and appreciation for the huge knowledge he is sharing with everyone on daily basis. After all, those who inspire and influence others to become less stupid are those who deserve our gratitude!