The civil war that tore through Syria for more than a decade claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced millions, and shattered the country’s economy. Now, after years of isolation, a new team of Syrian economic officials is fanning out across world capitals with a different message: one of reconstruction, reintegration, and the promise of stabilization and economic revival.

Abdulkader Al-Hussrieh, the governor of the Central Bank of Syria, was part of a high-level Syrian economic delegation that attended the World Bank and IMF annual meetings last week. Those officials were high in demand, often invited to speak at major events and their schedule packed with bilateral meetings with governments, potential investors, and U.S corporations.

Their message comes at a pivotal moment. With sanctions beginning to ease and the new transitional government seeking legitimacy abroad, Syria is trying to stabilize their economic situation, attract investment for infrastructure projects, and reintegrate into global financial systems.

“We have received unbelievable support,” Al-Hussrieh said. “Syria is back and we have a lot of work to do.” Al-Hussrieh, however, does not like to talk of “reconstruction” or “reform.” Instead, he says: “We are building something new. We do not want to reconstruct or reform the old system. This is a new era.”

The Urgency of the Moment

At the Semafor World Economy Summit, Syrian Minister of Economy and Industry Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar described the urgency of the moment. “If we miss this opportunity, Syria is gone,” he said. “You will never be talking about it. It will be diced and sliced, and we are cognizant of that. We are so careful to do it the right way, and sometimes we are accused of being slow or not being able to deliver… Please give us the time. We are emerging from scratch, from ruins, from wreckage.”

The challenges facing Al-Hussrieh, Al-Shaar and colleagues are daunting. According to the World Bank, Syria lost roughly half of its economic output during the civil war. Poverty soared. Inflation skyrocketed. Sanctions proliferated. The Syrian pound collapsed, and investment evaporated. Reconstruction costs alone are estimated to total $216 billion, according to a recent World Bank report.

Syrian Finance Minister Mohammad Yosr Bernieh met with senior World Bank officials to discuss a potential $1 billion grant, according to the independent Syrian news site, Enab Baladi. Bernieh also noted that a comprehensive framework is being drawn up for wide-ranging cooperation with the World Bank to build capacity and help stabilize the economy.

Stabilization is Priority Number One

When Al-Hussrieh took his post a few months ago, he made clear that “stabilization would be the first step.” The Central Bank, he said, must steady the pound, curb inflation, and begin reconnecting Syria to global payment and banking systems.

Since then, the pound has shown tentative signs of stabilization as a result of tighter monetary controls, remittance inflows, and early confidence-building measures, but the currency remains fragile.

Al-Hussrieh has said the Central Bank is preparing a major currency reform for early 2026, one that would replace the Assad-era banknotes with a new design and likely remove at least two zeros from the exchange rate. The move, still under technical review, is intended to simplify transactions, restore confidence, and mark a symbolic break from decades of authoritarian rule.

Removing zeros from a currency, known as re-denomination, doesn’t change the underlying value of the money, but it simplifies pricing, accounting, and everyday transactions. Countries from Turkey to Brazil, Argentina to Zimbabwe have used the tactic as part of broader stabilization drives.

“The challenges are real,” Al-Hussrieh said in an Arabic language interview with Forbes Middle East, “but the right policies, strong institutions, and execution capacity—along with a more favorable external environment—can make the pound a sign of recovery, not crisis.”

Cutting Syria’s Web of Sanctions

The shadow of sanctions also still looms large over Syria’s economic recovery. When Al-Hussrieh first took his post in March, the former EY executive was struck by how deep and pervasive the sanctions were on Syria. “We had more sanctions than North Korea,” he said.

President Donald Trump lifted most U.S. sanctions on Syria in May following his meeting with President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Riyadh, though the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 — the law authorizing those sanctions — remains in force.

Syria hopes that all remaining U.S. sanctions will be lifted in the coming months and has begun restructuring billions of dollars in debt accumulated under Bashar al-Assad’s rule, Economy Minister Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar said at a recent conference in London.

U.S Companies Eye Syria Investments

In a sign of Syria’s gradual reentry into the global economic fold, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani at a September 22 roundtable with U.S business leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings. They discussed investment and reconstruction opportunities.

In a recent post on the U.S Chamber’s site, Steve Lutes, Vice-President, Middle East Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, recounted a recent visit to Damascus, describing the nation “at a turning point that holds real promise for stability, revitalization, and opportunities for U.S. businesses to play a key role in Syria’s rebuilding and reentry into the global economy.”

An IMF team visited Syria for the first time since the uprising and civil war began some 15 years ago. The report concluded that, “While the years of conflict and displacement have weakened administrative capacity, staff at the finance ministry and central bank demonstrated strong commitment and solid understanding.”

Al-Hussrieh welcomes international engagement and the prospects of U.S investments, but he also spoke of a potential Syria economic revival as not only vital for the Syrian people, but also “an important opportunity for our neighbors,” noting the country’s potential to serve as an engine for regional revival.

“We are building everything and, as we build, our institutions need to regain the trust of the Syrian people and also the international community,” he said. “We have many challenges, but this is not just another job. It is a mission.”