Visa Launches “Visa Connect Syria” to Support Modern Digital Payments Ecosystem
The event was followed by a technical workshop with the Central Bank of Syria, underscoring Visa’s support for the country’s payment modernization journey through close public-private collaboration.
Visa, a global leader in digital payments, today reinforced its support for the establishment of a future-ready payments ecosystem in Syria through “Visa Connect Syria”, an inaugural industry gathering of financial institutions, ecosystem partners, and policymakers focused on advancing secure, modern digital commerce. The event was followed by a technical workshop with the Central Bank of Syria, underscoring Visa’s support for the country’s payment modernization journey through close public-private collaboration.
The two day event is part of Visa’s broader roadmap to advance Syria’s reintegration into the global digital economy, building on the recently announced strategic collaboration with the Central Bank of Syria to accelerate the development of a secure, inclusive and interoperable payments infrastructure.
“Visa Connect Syria” convened industry stakeholders to examine the technical foundations required for Syria to “leapfrog” into modern payments. Sessions focused on adopting global standards, strengthening digital identity and authorization frameworks, expanding interoperable acceptance, enhancing risk and fraud controls, and building scalable digital payment rails to enable commerce and small business growth.
On the second day, Visa hosted a dedicated workshop for the Central Bank of Syria, emphasizing the critical role of strong public private collaboration as Syria lays the foundations for a future ready digital payments ecosystem aligned with global standards.
“Our engagement with Visa reflects Syria’s commitment to strengthening its financial infrastructure in line with international standards. Developing a secure and inclusive digital payments framework is essential to supporting economic stability, enabling innovation, and facilitating Syria’s gradual reintegration into the global financial system.”
– Abdulkader Husrieh, Governor, Central Bank of Syria
“Syria stands at the very beginning of an important journey in payments, and Visa Connect Syria reflects the power of collaboration and belief in what’s possible. At Visa, we are excited to work alongside the Central Bank, local banks and ecosystem partners to help build a modern, secure payments foundation that connects Syrians to the regional and global economy, supports merchants of all sizes, and opens new opportunities for growth.”
– Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan (NALP), Visa
