The governor of the Central Bank of Syria denies limiting the delivery of remittances to Syrian pounds
On Wednesday , April 22, 2026, the Central Bank of Syria (CBS) denied obliging exchange companies to disburse and deliver incoming foreign remittances in the local currency "Syrian Pound", according to the official approved exchange rate bulletin, according to the state-run SANA news agency.
On Tuesday, social media pages circulated information that the delivery of remittances to citizens will be exclusively in Syrian pounds in all exchange and remittance companies and offices.
Sources in the exchange and remittance companies in Damascus said that they received a circular yesterday to stop the delivery of foreign remittances except in Syrian pounds, according to an exchange rate bulletin for remittances that is adjusted on a daily basis.
According to the circular, all incoming foreign remittances are disbursed and delivered exclusively in Syrian pounds, according to the official approved exchange rate bulletin, and it also stipulates that the fund's employee is obliged to inform the customer of the approved exchange rate before completing the delivery process, in order to ensure transparency in the procedures.
A number of citizens confirmed to "Syrian News" that they noticed yesterday that banners inside exchange companies in the Mezzeh area of Damascus were suspended for a special price for the exchange rate of remittances, which was 12750 SYP yesterday, while the normal exchange rate in the same company was 12850 SYP.
The exchange rate of the Syrian pound has declined significantly during the past two weeks amid a state of daily fluctuation before settling at an average rate of 13,000 pounds, which was reflected significantly on the prices of various basic and consumer items in the markets.
Presenting an ID card confuses the exchange market
Exchange companies in various Syrian provinces witnessed a clear state of confusion after the introduction of a new mechanism that obliges citizens to present their personal identities and register their full data, including place of residence, when they exchange dollars or any other foreign currency.
The measure, which was imposed abruptly and without prior announcement, led to a crowd in front of exchange offices amid complaints from citizens who found themselves facing requirements that were not part of the exchange process a day earlier.
When asked by "Syrian News" about the reason for adopting this new mechanism, the answer came in unison that the instructions were issued directly by the Central Bank of Syria, but despite this, the bank did not issue any official statement explaining the background of the decision or clarifying whether the measure is temporary or part of a new regulatory policy aimed at controlling the foreign exchange market.
4 Prices to the Dollar in Syria
Syria currently has four rates for the dollar, namely the official rate (11,000) approved by the Central Bank of Syria, which expresses an administrative exchange rate through which very limited remittances (public institutions, credit lines, and limited support) are carried out, and its trading value does not exceed 5-10% of the actual volume of foreign exchange demand.
The price of a dollar for fuel is used to price oil derivatives and the price of a dollar for the parallel market, in addition to the price of the dollar price of food commodities, which is the real economic price of the consumer, and is used to price food imports that are subject to financing operations through non-banking methods (foreign transfers through intermediaries, balances abroad, and informal clearing), and these mechanisms bear significant additional costs (commissions, risks, and delays), which raises the actual price of the dollar to levels that sometimes reach levels18,000-20,000 LBP.