Central Bank of Syria Issues New Regulatory Instructions for Electronic Payments and Transfers

Damascus, Syria — 20 September 2026

The Central Bank of Syria has issued Decision No. 616, approving a new set of regulatory instructions relating to the payment and electronic transfer sector in the Syrian Arab Republic.

The decision implements the framework established under Decision No. 1124 dated 18 August 2026, concerning the adoption of the electronic payment and transfer system in Syria.

This represents an important regulatory development for the continued development of electronic payments, payment gateways, digital wallets and payment infrastructure in Syria.

What has been approved?

Decision No. 616 approves four principal sets of instructions governing participants in Syria’s electronic payment and transfer sector:

1. Licensing requirements and procedures

Instructions establishing requirements and procedures for licensing providers of electronic payment and transfer activities. The licensing document is a detailed 10-page framework issued by the Central Bank of Syria.

2. Capital requirements

A dedicated regulatory framework establishes capital requirements applicable to providers of electronic payment and transfer activities, including different requirements according to the services and activities undertaken.

3. Financial guarantee requirements

The Central Bank has also issued dedicated requirements concerning financial guarantees for providers operating within the electronic payment and transfer ecosystem.

4. Regularisation and reconciliation of existing operators

Separate instructions establish requirements and procedures for entities that need to regularise or reconcile their status under the new regulatory framework.

A New Chapter for Electronic Payments in Syria

The publication of these instructions provides a more detailed regulatory foundation for the development of Syria’s electronic payment sector.

For payment service providers and other participants in the ecosystem, the framework addresses several fundamental areas of operation, including licensing, capital adequacy, financial safeguards, operational requirements and the process for bringing existing activities into compliance with the new framework.

For the wider market, this creates an important foundation for the continued development of digital payments in Syria, including payment gateways, electronic wallets, merchant payments and other electronic payment services.

At eCash, we welcome developments that contribute to building a secure, regulated and accessible electronic-payment ecosystem in Syria.

As a licensed Syrian electronic payment company, eCash will continue developing payment infrastructure and services in accordance with the applicable regulatory framework and the requirements of the Central Bank of Syria.

Official Documents

For transparency and to help businesses, financial institutions, merchants and interested parties understand the new framework, all five official documents are available to download directly from this article.