Syria's President uses Visa for coffee as global card networks return

President Ahmed al-Sharaa demonstrated the revival of global card payments by tapping a Visa card to pay for coffee at a restaurant in Old Damascus, where Central Bank Governor Safwat Raslan was present. Visa said the transaction was processed with the help of the Central Bank of Syria, Lebanon’s Fransabank as the acquiring bank, and Syrian payment-technology firm Paymera providing the terminal infrastructure. In parallel, Mastercard and Qatar’s QNB Group reported completing the first full-cycle Mastercard payment in Syria, enabling participating hotels, restaurants and government entities to accept the cards.

Visa’s Syrian operations began after a December agreement with the central bank and subsequent workshops, with formal licensing granted in May. The development follows the U.S. removal of Syria from its state-sponsor of terrorism list, removing a major legal obstacle to international banking. It represents a tangible step in President Sharaa’s plan to lift sanctions, attract investment and rebuild the war-torn economy.