Syria to change new national currency from January 2026

SYRIA: The head of the Central Bank of Syria has announced that the process of gradually changing the national currency to a new form will begin in the country from January 1, 2026.

The move is being described as part of efforts to restore the Syrian economy after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Central Bank Governor Abdul Qader al-Husriya said in a statement issued on Thursday that the currency change is being carried out at an important national stage that marks the beginning of a new economic and financial era in Syria.

He said that the new Syrian currency will reflect financial independence after independence and will be a strong step towards economic stability and recovery.

According to the central bank, the detailed procedure for the currency change will be presented at a press conference on Sunday. According to officials, 2 zeros will be removed from the Syrian pound and new currency notes will be issued.

Some of the banknotes currently in circulation bear images of former President Bashar al-Assad and his father Hafez al-Assad, who ruled Syria for decades.

It should be noted that the value of the Syrian pound fell sharply after the civil war that began in 2011. Before the war, the value of the Syrian pound was 50 to the US dollar, which has now reached 10,000 to 11,000 pounds, due to which citizens have to use large amounts of currency notes to purchase daily necessities.

According to Abdul Qadir al-Husriya, the change in the currency will not affect its real value, but new notes will be introduced to replace the old notes to avoid further inflationary pressure.

The central bank has said that there are plans to issue notes of 6 different denominations under the new currency.

The development comes as the United States announced this month that it would permanently lift sanctions on Syria, raising hopes of ending years of economic isolation and a return to foreign investment.