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

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.