Strategy Unveiled in Damascus
Syria launched a national strategy to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, presented during a high-level meeting held at the seat of the presidency in Damascus on 23 July 2026. The gathering brought together the country's financial oversight bodies and senior members of the government.
Officials described the strategy as a framework binding together the work of specialized agencies rather than a single regulatory document, setting out priorities for aligning the financial system with international standards.
A Delegation Returns
The meeting coincided with a visit by a delegation from the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force, led by its president, Hamed Saif al-Zaabi. It was the body's first official visit to Syria since 2010.
Attendance spanned the ministries of interior, justice, economy, finance, endowments, social affairs, local administration, environment, and communications, alongside the heads of the Civil Aviation Authority, the Central Audit Bureau, and the Financial Control Authority.
Preparing for the 2027 Review
Officials said the central aim is to prepare Syria for its third-round mutual evaluation, scheduled for 2027, an assessment that measures a country's compliance with global anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism-financing rules.
The wider Financial Action Task Force, of which the regional body is part, was established in 1989 to set international standards against illicit finance. The initiative was developed in coordination with the United Nations Development Programme and overseen by the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Authority, headed by Safwat Raslan.
Banking Ties at Stake
Authorities framed the effort as a way to rebuild the confidence of international financial institutions, improve the investment climate, and support the reconnection of Syrian banks to the global system. "National strategies represent comprehensive frameworks for unified efforts," al-Zaabi said.
Restoring correspondent-banking relationships remains one of the central obstacles facing the Syrian economy, and compliance with international financial standards is widely viewed as a precondition for that process. Officials presented the strategy as an economic enabler rather than a compliance exercise alone, tying it to competitiveness and the flow of investment.