Al-Sharaa Appoints Safwat Raslan as New Central Bank Governor

Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa appointed Safwat Raslan — previously head of the Syrian Development Fund — as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Syria. The outgoing governor, Abdelkader Husriyeh, was appointed as Syria's ambassador to Canada. The reshuffle signals a move to bring technocratic reform to Syria's banking sector, which has been paralyzed by international sanctions and the collapse of the Syrian pound (SYP). The appointment came weeks after US sanctions waivers and EU normalization steps created space for international banking re-engagement. Stabilizing the central bank is considered a precondition for attracting the foreign investment Syria needs for reconstruction.