10DX SUMMIT SYRIA EDITION

Rebuilding and Reconnecting Syrian Banking

A functioning, trusted and internationally connected banking system is the foundation Syria's economic recovery will be built on. The legal position has changed decisively: broad sanctions were terminated in 2025 and the state sponsor of terrorism designation was rescinded in August 2026. The work now moves from diplomacy to institutions — correspondent relationships, compliance evidence, payment rails and technology estates that international counterparties and Syrian customers can both rely on.

That build is already underway: a new national currency, a licensed payments framework, an internationally funded modernisation programme for the Central Bank, independent reviews across the banking system, and a compliance regime designed to satisfy foreign counterparties as well as domestic supervisors. The international window supporting this work is open now and will not stay open indefinitely.

10DX Syria convenes the banking, payments, compliance, technology and treasury leaders responsible for turning that opening into working financial infrastructure.
Compliance
AML/CFT, grey list exit, governance, certification, institutional trust
Infrastructure
Core systems, data, cloud, AI, cyber resilience, modern payment rails
Access
Correspondent access, cross-border payments, international finance

THE NEXT FRONTIER

Market Developments

$216 billion
World Bank estimate of Syria's reconstruction cost
$100m
World Bank grant for financial sector modernisation
15m+
Annual electronic retail payments targeted
500,000
People and businesses targeted for digital payment
The Legal Reset
Comprehensive US sanctions ended in July 2025, followed by the repeal of the Caesar Act's secondary provisions in December. In August 2026 Syria was removed from the US state sponsors of terrorism list, ending a designation in place since 1979.
The Correspondent Gap
Days after delisting, Syria completed its first international Visa and Mastercard transactions. Correspondent banking relationships, cross-border payments and trade finance are now being rebuilt from a near-standing start.
The Compliance Path
Syria remains on the FATF grey list, with an on-site assessment still outstanding. Banks are building out AML/CFT, sanctions screening, KYC and transaction monitoring to international standards.
The Infrastructure Build
A new currency, a licensed payments framework, card network connectivity, and major investment in central bank technology are advancing the wider modernisation of Syria's financial infrastructure.

THE ROOM

Who will Attend

Chairmen, CEOs, General Managers and Deputy GMs · Chief Operating Officers · CIOs and CTOs · Heads of Digital Transformation · Chief Compliance Officers and Heads of AML/CFT · Heads of Correspondent Banking and Financial Institutions · Heads of Trade Finance · Heads of Treasury and FX · Heads of Payments and Cards · Heads of Corporate and SME Banking · Heads of Retail Banking · Chief Risk Officers and Heads of Credit · CISOs · Heads of Operations · Central bank, Ministry of Finance and Financial Intelligence Unit officials

SHAPE THE FUTURE

Why Attend

Understand the Opportunity
See how Syrian banking is being rebuilt — from correspondent access and compliance to core systems and payment rails.
Connect with the Ecosystem
Meet the banking, regulatory and technology leaders shaping the rebuild in one of MENA’s most promising frontier markets.
Shape What Comes Next
Join the conversations on connectivity, trust and infrastructure while the decisions are still being made — not after they are reported.

The Agenda

5 MARCH 2024

0800 - 0900

Registration

0900 - 0905

Opening Remarks

0905 - 0935

The Reconnection Window: Sequencing Syria's Banking Rebuild

On 24 August 2026 Washington rescinded a designation that had stood since 1979, completing a sequence of sanctions relief that began in 2025 and opening the way for Syrian banks to re-engage with the international financial system. The World Bank has sized reconstruction at $216 billion, and the institutions that will carry that capital are being rebuilt now. This panel sets the sequence for the next twenty-four months.
  • Legal relief arrived faster than institutional capacity could follow. What has to be sequenced first across the next twenty-four months?
  • Monetary, regulatory and technology reform are running simultaneously across the sector. Where does the bank concentrate scarce management attention and budget?
  • Reconstruction capital is beginning to mobilise. What channels and capabilities do Syrian banks need to intermediate it rather than see it routed elsewhere?
  • Public banks hold more than seventy percent of sector assets. What role should they play in the architecture the market is now designing?

0935 - 0950

Lightbulb Moment

A sharp perspective from a leading solution provider on the ideas and technologies that could move Syrian banking forward.

0950 - 1020

The Missing Correspondent: Reconnecting Syrian Banks to International Finance

The Central Bank resumed SWIFT operations in November 2025, sending its first messages to correspondent banks worldwide, and the European Commission confirmed that same month that EU banks may open correspondent accounts with Syrian institutions. The legal environment for re-engagement has changed substantially. Fourteen years of de-risking removed Syria from correspondent networks and screening databases, and rebuilding that access increasingly depends on counterparty confidence, compliance readiness and due diligence. This panel examines what opens the first lines.
  • Overcompliance persists long after the legal designation lifts. What evidence does a foreign compliance officer actually need before saying yes?
  • Regional lenders with legacy Syrian exposure are the likeliest first movers. Which corridors open first, and on what commercial conditions?
  • Correspondent onboarding tests operations, not just compliance policy. What does the bank's payments, screening and reporting capability have to demonstrate?
  • Diaspora remittances move informally at five to fifteen percent in fees. How does the formal channel win that volume back?

1020 - 1025

The Room Speaks: Morning Pulse

A live audience pulse check capturing the priorities, pressures, and challenges shaping banking transformation today.

1025 - 1105

Networking Break

1105 - 1135

Building Trust: AML, Compliance and the Road Beyond the Grey List

Syria has been under FATF increased monitoring since February 2010. The action plan was judged technically complete in June 2014, but no on-site visit has ever taken place, and the June 2026 plenary left the listing untouched. Every correspondent due diligence file starts there. Grey list exit is one of the most consequential milestones Syria can actively work towards, and the World Bank programme now supports the Financial Intelligence Unit's institutional rebuild.
  • Grey list status triggers enhanced due diligence automatically. What does the bank have to evidence to survive that review at a foreign counterparty?
  • International counterparties ask for ownership, board and capital transparency upfront. Who certifies a bank as ready, and on what published standard?
  • Transaction monitoring depends on data a largely cash-based economy has not generated. How does the compliance function build a usable evidence base?
  • Compliance skills are in short supply across the market. Where do banks find and build the people this regime requires?

1135 - 1150

Lightbulb Moment

A sharp perspective from a leading solution provider on the ideas and technologies that could move Syrian banking forward.

1150 - 1220

Building the Modern Syrian Bank: What to Invest in First

The World Bank’s $100 million financial sector modernisation programme puts investment in the Central Bank’s systems and cybersecurity on the agenda. Across Syrian banking, core platforms, payment systems, data infrastructure and security compete for budgets and delivery capacity, while institutions must maintain services throughout the transition. This panel examines how banks can establish investment priorities, sequence implementation and select technology partners capable of supporting the rebuild.
  • Replacing everything at once is rarely practical. Which systems need immediate investment, and where can existing platforms support a phased transition?
  • Core banking, payments, data and security are interdependent. How should banks sequence these investments to deliver early improvements without creating costly integration problems?
  • Technology choices create long-term commitments. What should banks require from partners on interoperability, data control, local support and implementation capability?
  • Automation and AI offer opportunities in onboarding, reconciliation and reporting. Where can they deliver measurable value while foundational systems are still being modernised?

1220 - 1235

Lightbulb Moment

A sharp perspective from a leading solution provider on the ideas and technologies that could move Syrian banking forward.

1235 - 1305

Prayer & Networking Break

1305 - 1335

From Cash to Rails: Building Syria's Modern Payments Ecosystem

Presidential Decision No. 1124, adopted by the Central Bank in August 2026, created the regulatory and technical foundation for a national payment system, licensing payment service providers, electronic money issuers and system operators, and opening a supervised sandbox. In May the regulator authorised banks and payment companies to connect to global card networks. Terminal deployment is scaling from roughly four thousand toward a national target of fifty thousand. The rails now have to be built.
  • A cash economy does not digitise because a licence framework exists. What actually moves a merchant onto electronic acceptance and keeps them there?
  • Non-bank providers and e-money issuers now have a licensing route. Where does the bank compete and where does it partner?
  • Card acceptance depends on connectivity, power and settlement that are not uniform nationally. What has to be solved before rollout leaves the cities?
  • Wage, pension and government payments will onboard many first-time users. What mix of cards, mobile banking and digital services keeps them active?

1335 - 1350

Light Bulb Moment

A sharp perspective from a leading solution provider on the ideas and technologies that could move Syrian banking forward.

1350 - 1420

Restoring Banking Relationships: Trade, Payments and Corporate Clients

Reconnecting Syrian banks to international networks must translate into services businesses can use. Winning back corporate clients requires reliable payments, workable trade finance, access to foreign exchange and confidence in holding funds within the banking system. This panel examines how banks can rebuild these relationships, prioritise the services businesses need first and bring transactions conducted through cash and alternative channels back into formal banking.
  • Businesses have relied on cash and alternative channels to keep trading. What would persuade them to move transactions back into bank accounts?
  • Restoring trade finance requires more than correspondent access. What operational capabilities and commercial conditions would make letters of credit a workable option for importers?
  • Corporate clients need predictable payments, settlement and access to foreign exchange. Which capabilities should banks prioritise to support everyday business activity?
  • Transaction flows do not automatically become stable deposits. How can banks rebuild confidence in keeping working capital and business balances within the banking system?

1420 - 1425

The Room Speaks: Closing Pulse

A final audience reflection measuring how perspectives shifted across the day's discussions and debates.

1425 - 1430

Closing Remarks

1430 - 1515

VIP Networking Lunch

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