Visa and Mastercard process first card payments in Syria

Visa and Mastercard completed test international card transactions in Syria after the United States removed the country from its state sponsors of terrorism list, re-establishing connections for cross-border card payments that had been inactive for decades.

Mastercard processed an end-to-end international card payment through Qatar’s QNB Group. Visa carried out a separate test transaction with Lebanon’s Fransabank in Damascus’ Old City. The Visa test included a payment by President Ahmed al-Sharaa alongside Central Bank Governor Mohammed Safwat Raslan, with central bank officials participating in public demonstrations of the transactions.

In September 2025, Mastercard signed an agreement with the Central Bank of Syria aimed at strengthening the country’s payments infrastructure. Visa plans to enable international visitors to use their cards in Syria. Mastercard’s arrangement with QNB will let Syrian merchants accept Mastercard credit cards through QNB’s systems.

Syria had been listed by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism since 1979. That designation imposed broad financial restrictions and increased legal and compliance risks for banks and payment firms, limiting cross-border banking, correspondent relationships and card acceptance.

Restoring full payment services will require further commercial agreements with regional banks, compliance reviews by global financial institutions and the installation of card terminals and supporting systems across Syrian retail and service locations. The transactions completed so far represent technical tests and initial commercial steps rather than a full market rollout.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani described the change as ‘There is no longer any obstacle to investment, doing business, and rebuilding economic life in Syria.’