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Syria's Sharaa Uses Visa Card in Damascus, Signals Financial Reopening
(MENAFN) In a symbolic gesture underscoring Syria's push to rejoin the global banking system, President Ahmad al-Sharaa used a Visa card to pay for a meal at a restaurant in Old Damascus on Wednesday, footage released by media showed.
Central Bank of Syria Governor Safwat Raslan stood alongside the president during the transaction, a visible show of official backing for the country's digital payments push.
The moment coincided with a separate announcement from Visa on Thursday confirming it had completed its first live international card transaction inside Syria — a milestone the company called a critical step toward letting foreign visitors use Visa cards on Syrian soil.
Visa said it carried out the test transaction in coordination with the Central Bank of Syria and two banking partners, Fransabank and Paymera. The company framed the achievement as part of a wider effort to build out digital payment infrastructure and pull Syria further into the global digital economy.
The transaction lands at a pivotal moment for Syria's battered economy, as the government works to rebuild financial institutions and re-enter international markets now that sanctions have been lifted.
Addressing the opening of the 63rd Damascus International Fair on Wednesday, Sharaa declared that Syria had entered a fresh chapter of reconstruction and growth now that sanctions have been rolled back. He voiced optimism that the country could reclaim its historic role as a commercial crossroads — a trade corridor and economic hub bridging East and West.
The announcement follows a major policy shift from Washington: the U.S. Treasury Department confirmed Monday it had struck Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, delivering on the Trump administration's pledge of sanctions relief. Syria had remained on that list since 1979 — 47 years.
Central Bank of Syria Governor Safwat Raslan stood alongside the president during the transaction, a visible show of official backing for the country's digital payments push.
The moment coincided with a separate announcement from Visa on Thursday confirming it had completed its first live international card transaction inside Syria — a milestone the company called a critical step toward letting foreign visitors use Visa cards on Syrian soil.
Visa said it carried out the test transaction in coordination with the Central Bank of Syria and two banking partners, Fransabank and Paymera. The company framed the achievement as part of a wider effort to build out digital payment infrastructure and pull Syria further into the global digital economy.
The transaction lands at a pivotal moment for Syria's battered economy, as the government works to rebuild financial institutions and re-enter international markets now that sanctions have been lifted.
Addressing the opening of the 63rd Damascus International Fair on Wednesday, Sharaa declared that Syria had entered a fresh chapter of reconstruction and growth now that sanctions have been rolled back. He voiced optimism that the country could reclaim its historic role as a commercial crossroads — a trade corridor and economic hub bridging East and West.
The announcement follows a major policy shift from Washington: the U.S. Treasury Department confirmed Monday it had struck Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, delivering on the Trump administration's pledge of sanctions relief. Syria had remained on that list since 1979 — 47 years.
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