Visa announced they have tested the first live international transaction in Syria, marking an important milestone in supporting the country’s financial services sector.
Working with Fransabank Lebanon as the acquiring financial institution and Paymera, the test is the start of a historic step toward expanding digital payment capabilities in the market and providing international visitors with a familiar, secure, and convenient way to make payments.
H.E. Mohammed Safwat Raslan, Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, said: “The Central Bank of Syria views the modernisation of the national payments ecosystem and its greater integration with international payment systems as an important part of the broader modernisation of Syria’s financial infrastructure. Today’s test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and represents a practical milestone in expanding payment options and facilitating transactions for international visitors.
As we build on this milestone, maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential to safeguarding the integrity of payment and settlement operations and strengthening confidence in the payment’s ecosystem. We look forward to further expanding secure and efficient payment solutions that facilitate commerce and tourism and improve the payment experience in Syria.”
Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan (NALP) Region at Visa, said: “At Visa, our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payments network. Over the past several months, we have taken important steps to support the reintroduction of digital payments in Syria and greater participation in the global digital economy within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements, working closely with partners and stakeholders to help lay the foundations for a more connected and digitally enabled economy. We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria. This is an important milestone in the development of Syria’s payments ecosystem.”
Nadim Moujaes, CEO, Fransabank Group subsidiary, said: “Fransabank is pleased to work with Visa on this important milestone which comes as a culmination of our longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks. For Fransabank, a pioneering leader in this domain, this constitutes the first step in a larger path and represents a carefully governed vision towards enabling international card acceptance in Syria. We are committed to operating within the approved framework while maintaining the highest standards of governance, compliance and operational integrity”
Michel Kattouah, CEO, Paymera, said: “The return of international card acceptance is an important milestone for Syria’s digital transformation journey. As one of the enablers of this milestone, Paymera is pleased to collaborate with Visa, Fransabank Lebanon and other ecosystem partners to help connect visitors and businesses to secure digital payment capabilities.”
The successful international transactions tested today builds on Visa’s ongoing efforts in Syria including the collaboration with the Central Bank of Syria and the broader financial ecosystem, following the strategic roadmap announced in December 2025 to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy, hosting Visa’s first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus February 2026 and signing an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco in February 2026.
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