Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa took part in the Visa test, making a card payment at a restaurant in Damascus's historic Old City, according to a video published by Syria’s state-run Syrian Response. Central Bank Governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan was seated alongside him.
The transactions came just two days after the U.S. formally removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The designation, imposed in 1979, had remained a major deterrent to international banks and investors even after Washington dismantled its broader sanctions programme against the country.
Washington terminated comprehensive sanctions on Syria in December last year while retaining targeted measures against former President Bashar al-Assad and his associates, rights abusers, drug traffickers, Islamic State and al Qaeda affiliates and Iranian proxies.
But Syria's continued designation as a state sponsor of terrorism carried restrictions on financial transactions and remained a source of legal and compliance risk for banks considering doing business there. The U.S. formally removed Syria from the list on Monday.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani told Reuters before the removal that Damascus hoped lifting what he called the "last obstacle" would reconnect Syria with the global financial and economic system and boost investment.
"There is no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business and rebuilding economic life in Syria," he said.
Sharaa's government has made restoring access to global finance and attracting foreign investment a central part of its economic strategy since rebels led by him toppled Assad in December 2024.
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