27.08.2026 10:00
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the resumption of the international card system in the country with a symbolic gesture by paying the bill with a Visa card at a restaurant in Damascus.
After years of international sanctions, a historic development of high symbolic significance took place in Syria, which is trying to integrate with the global financial system. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced the country's return to the digital financial world by making a payment with a Visa card at a restaurant in the capital, Damascus.
ELECTRONIC PAYMENT ERA IN OLD DAMASCUS
According to images shared by Syrian television, President Ahmed al-Sharaa paid the bill using an international Visa card at a restaurant in the Old Damascus area. The transaction, accompanied by Central Bank of Syria Governor Safwat Raslan, was assessed as a critical milestone in the country's reconnection with global payment networks.
Following the development, digital payment giant Visa issued a statement confirming that a live international card transaction had been successfully tested in the country in cooperation with the Central Bank of Syria, Fransabank, and Paymera. The company stated that this step would facilitate payments for foreigners visiting the country and accelerate Syria's participation in the global digital economy.
SANCTIONS LIFTED, A NEW PAGE IN THE ECONOMY
These historic steps in the financial system came immediately after the US Treasury Department announced that it had removed Syria from the list of "state sponsors of terrorism," where it had been since 1979. With this decision, part of the US administration's commitment to easing sanctions, a new era began for the Syrian economy.
Speaking at the opening of the 63rd Damascus International Fair held on Wednesday, President al-Sharaa emphasized that with the lifting of sanctions, Syria has entered a comprehensive reconstruction and development phase. Al-Sharaa stated that they aim for their country to regain its position as a trade corridor, bridge, and regional economic hub between East and West, as it was in the past.