Talks With a World Bank Arm
A delegation from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private-sector arm of the World Bank Group, met Syrian officials on 9 September 2026 to discuss resuming the institution's activity inside the country. The delegation was led by Elena Burganskaya, the IFC's Vice President for Strategy and Operations Support.
On the Syrian side, the meeting was led by Qutaiba Qadish, Director of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. The central item was the conditions for the IFC to resume operations in Syria after a prolonged absence.
Focus on Private Investment
The two sides examined ways for the IFC to support Syria's private sector and help attract investment, alongside financing for projects tied to economic recovery and reconstruction.
A renewed role for the corporation would place a major international financial institution back inside a market that has been largely cut off from multilateral development finance for years. The talks framed private capital, rather than state spending alone, as a route to funding recovery.
Support for Smaller Firms
The agenda also covered financing for small and medium-sized enterprises, capacity-building programs, and the application of environmental, social, and governance standards to future projects.
Those areas point to a focus on rebuilding local productive capacity rather than large one-off transactions, with smaller firms treated as a channel for jobs and output.
Signal to Investors
Qadish said the aim was to translate cooperation "into practical projects that support local production, strengthen investor confidence, and contribute to sustainable economic recovery."
No financing figures or binding agreements were announced, and the meeting was described as an exchange on cooperation rather than a concluded deal. The value of the engagement lies in the signal it sends about the gradual return of international institutions to the Syrian economy, a shift closely watched by investors weighing the country's risk. Any concrete financing would depend on later steps not set out at this stage.