A New Market Partnership
The Damascus Securities Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange signed a memorandum of understanding on 29 September 2026 aimed at strengthening cooperation and opening channels for the exchange of expertise between the two markets.
The accord sets a framework for closer ties between the Syrian bourse and one of the Gulf's largest exchanges. It did not name specific joint projects or set a timetable for putting the cooperation into practice.
Officials at the Signing
The Syrian minister of finance, Mohammad Yisr Barnieh, attended the signing alongside the executive director of the Damascus Securities Exchange, Basel Asaad, and the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange Group, Abdullah Salem Al Neyadi.
The presence of a cabinet minister signaled the weight the government attaches to drawing the Syrian capital market back into regional financial networks.
A Regional Forum
The memorandum was signed during the 2026 annual conference of the Arab Federation of Capital Markets, held in Abu Dhabi on 29 and 30 September. The gathering brought together more than 600 participants and 50 speakers representing over 25 exchanges and institutions.
Sessions addressed digital transformation, the interconnection of markets, energy trading, derivatives, exchange-traded funds, and the role of artificial intelligence in finance.
Steps Toward Reintegration
For the Damascus exchange, the agreement is part of a wider effort to rebuild links with foreign investors and regional partners after years of isolation. Deeper cooperation between the two bourses could, over time, widen investor access and connectivity across borders.
No financial commitments accompanied the memorandum, and its practical effect will hinge on the joint projects the two sides choose to pursue in the months ahead.
Why It Matters
Reconnecting the Damascus exchange to regional peers is part of a broader reopening of the Syrian economy to outside capital. A functioning, connected stock market can channel savings into companies and give firms a way to raise money beyond bank lending.
Whether the memorandum delivers will depend on follow-through, but the signing itself marks a visible move to place Syria back on the regional financial map.