Digital payments & financial modernization
Cash-based no longer means card-less: Visa and Mastercard are processing Syrian transactions again for the first time since before 2011.
For over a decade, international card networks and most cross-border banking simply did not work inside Syria. That changed within weeks of sanctions relief in 2026: Visa and Mastercard both processed live Syrian transactions, a $100 million World Bank grant is targeting mass adoption of electronic retail payments, and the government has adopted its first formal legal framework for e-payments.
Key developments
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Aug 2026
Visa & Mastercard resume Syria transactions
First international card payments since before 2011, routed through partner banks QNB, Fransabank and local firm Paymera.
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Aug 2026
Decision No. 1124 adopts an Electronic Payment and Transfer System
The Presidency's General Secretariat gave e-payments their first formal legal backbone.
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2026
World Bank grant targets 15M+ annual electronic retail payments
A $100 million grant aims to modernize the financial sector's payment rails at national scale.
Source →
Why this matters for SADT
Payment rails are the foundation every other digital service — e-commerce, digital government fees, remittances from the diaspora — depends on. SADT can track adoption honestly rather than let announcements substitute for usage data.