A $100 Million Grant
The World Bank announced on 7 August 2026 a grant of $100 million (USD) to modernize Syria's financial sector.
The funding targets the country's financial infrastructure rather than a single project, and it has been presented as groundwork for a broader phase of economic recovery and financial opening.
Reconnecting to Global Finance
Under the terms set out on 7 August 2026, the grant will support investments intended to make financial transactions safer, faster and more transparent.
Modernizing that infrastructure is described as a precondition for reconnecting Syria to the international financial channels required for trade and investment, after years in which the sector operated in isolation under sanctions.
A Record $491 Million
The latest grant lifts the total of approved World Bank commitments to Syria to $491 million, a figure without precedent in the history of relations between the two sides.
On 2 August 2026, Finance Minister Muhammad Yasir Barniyah said the World Bank had recognized the success of the country's 2026 reforms, adding that continued commitment to debt sustainability and transparency would translate into larger grant allocations in 2027.
Central Bank's Assessment
The governor of the Central Bank of Syria, Muhammad Safwat Raslan, called the grant "an important milestone in developing financial and banking infrastructure, and an essential step toward building a modern financial sector."
His remarks framed the funding as evidence of shifting international confidence in a sector long viewed as isolated.
Reforms Behind the Shift
Officials link the inflow of grants to a package of measures adopted since late 2024, including updated banking legislation, stronger anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorism-financing frameworks, and a restructuring of fiscal and monetary policy.
Those steps also include the introduction of a redenominated Syrian pound (SYP) with zeros removed, part of an effort to rebuild confidence in the currency and the wider economy.