Widening Development Support
Finance Minister Mohammed Yusr Borniyeh said on 8 August 2026 that cumulative development financing extended to Syria by the World Bank has reached $491 million (USD), delivered through five separate grants. He said every grant provided so far has been structured as a full grant, placing no repayment burden on the general treasury.
A $100 Million Financial Package
The most recent award is a $100 million grant from the International Development Association, the World Bank's concessional-financing arm, and is the fifth in the series. The funds are earmarked for building modern and secure financial-sector infrastructure, including digitally certified systems intended to align Syrian banking more closely with international standards.
Where the Money Has Gone
The ministry set out how earlier financing has been distributed across essential services: $150 million for water, $146 million for electricity, $75 million for health and $20 million for public financial management. Added to the new financial-sector package, those commitments account for the full $491 million total.
No Addition to Public Debt
Because the financing is provided as grants rather than loans, it does not create new obligations for the treasury, the minister said. He attributed the terms to a management approach built on transparency and governance in how earlier World Bank financing was handled.
Roadmap Toward $1 Billion
Borniyeh said Damascus is pursuing additional grants that could raise total World Bank support to roughly $1 billion (USD) over three years. Education, agriculture, transport, social protection and environmental management were identified as the priority areas for the next phase of financing.