Meeting in New York
Syria's finance minister and the governor of the country's central bank met the chief executive of Mastercard and senior company officials at its New York headquarters to discuss cooperation on digital payments and government financial services. The meeting took place on 2 October 2026, and the finance ministry disclosed it on 3 October 2026.
The ministry said the talks reviewed its plan for financial management and digital transformation, and for building digital infrastructure for state financial services.
Digitizing Government Money
Discussions covered the digital collection of state fees and taxes, the digitization of government payments and procurement, and an overhaul of the system for paying public salaries and wages.
Officials said the changes were intended to improve efficiency, speed up the completion of transactions and reduce the use of cash across state financial dealings.
Curbing Financial Crime
The ministry framed the shift toward digital payments as a way to strengthen financial integrity and limit corruption and money crimes in government transactions.
It said the advanced technologies on offer would support the ministry's broader modernization goals.
Return to Global Networks
The company has already begun providing payment card services with banks inside the country, alongside newer digital payment technologies that extend to government transactions.
On 7 May 2026, it announced it had completed the technical readiness to process international bank card transactions inside Syria — described as the first such step in more than 15 years and a move that reopens a path to the global payments network. The step would let banks in the country handle international card payments that had been severed for over a decade.
Talks, Not Yet Deals
The meeting centered on prospects for cooperation rather than a binding agreement, and no specific contract or timetable was announced.
It came amid a series of engagements between Syrian financial officials and American institutions during the same visit.