Syria launched a trial of electronic payments using Mastercard and Visa on May 9, more than 15 years after the cards were discontinued, local media reported.
The restoration of these services marks the end of a long period of isolation for Damascus. Severe international sanctions imposed between 2011 and 2012 following Assad-era violent crackdown on protesters had cut the country off from the global financial system.
The return of Visa and Mastercard services was announced at an event in Damascus hosted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
The ministry said the move was “a step that opens Syria to the global digital payment system and promotes the transition toward financial inclusion.”
Footage published by Feras Al-Massri shows Minister Abdulsalam Haykal making a card payment