{"id":1029,"date":"2026-08-27T09:43:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T09:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2026-08-27T09:43:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T09:43:33","slug":"first-in-15-years-syrias-president-makes-historic-visa-payment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/?p=1029","title":{"rendered":"First in 15 Years: Syria\u2019s President Makes Historic Visa Payment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa was filmed using a Visa card at a caf\u00e9 in the Old City of Damascus on Wednesday, completing what officials described as the country\u2019s first live international Visa transaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Central Bank of Syria Governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan witnessed the payment, which was processed through a mobile card terminal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transaction was facilitated by Visa in partnership with Fransabank Lebanon and financial-technology company Paymera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Payment for coffee<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For millions of people around the world, paying with a bank card is an everyday activity. In Syria, years of war, sanctions and financial restrictions made such international transactions difficult or impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video of al-Sharaa completing the payment was therefore presented as evidence that Syria is beginning to restore its links with global banking and payment networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visa said it plans to make its cards usable by international visitors travelling to Syria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the successful test does not mean Visa payments are now available throughout the country. Banks and businesses will still need approved equipment, reliable internet access, settlement arrangements and effective financial-compliance systems before the service can be widely introduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Syria removed from US terrorism list<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The transaction came shortly after the United States formally removed Syria from its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism on August 24, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Syria had been included on the list since 1979. The designation carried restrictions affecting financial transactions, foreign assistance, investment and international trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Treasury said removing the designation could encourage new investment and support Syria\u2019s economic and political stability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The changes have opened more opportunities for international banks and companies to work with Syria, but they do not eliminate every restriction or financial risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Banks must still conduct identity checks, monitor suspicious transactions and ensure that payments do not involve individuals or organisations that remain sanctioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real test begins after the cameras leave<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Al-Sharaa\u2019s coffee payment delivered a carefully timed message: Syria wants to be seen as open for business and ready to reconnect with the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But one successful transaction at a caf\u00e9 does not rebuild a banking system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real measure of progress will be whether card services become affordable and accessible to ordinary Syrians\u2014not only government officials, foreign visitors and large businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widespread electronic payments could reduce reliance on cash, improve business transparency, support tourism and make it easier for Syrian companies to participate in international trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That will require reliable electricity, secure telecommunications, properly regulated banks and public confidence in the financial system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, the payment represents an important technical and symbolic milestone. Turning that single swipe into a dependable national payment network will be the much greater challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Ahmed al-Sharaa has completed Syria\u2019s first publicly announced live international Visa transaction, signalling another step in the country\u2019s return to global finance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1030,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[162,163,164,161,159,160],"class_list":["post-1029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","tag-ahmed-al-sharaa","tag-banking","tag-damascus","tag-digital-payments","tag-syria","tag-visa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1029"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1035,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1029\/revisions\/1035"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1029"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1029"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ghanapunch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1029"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}