Exclusive-Syria made first direct international bank transfer via SWIFT since war, central bank governor says

FILE PHOTO: A drone view shows the Syrian central bank, after the ousting of Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 16, 2024. REUTERS/Yosri Al Jamal/File Photo

DAMASCUS (Reuters) -Syria this week carried out its first international bank transfer via the SWIFT international payment system since the outbreak of the country’s 14-year civil war, central bank governor Abdelkader Husriyeh said on Thursday, a milestone in Syria’s push to reintegrate into the global financial system.

Husriyeh told Reuters in Damascus that a direct commercial transaction was carried out from a Syrian to an Italian bank on Sunday.

"The door is now open to more such transactions," he said.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari;Editing by Alison Williams)