Syria’s new leadership has appointed Maysaa Sabrine, the former deputy governor of the Syrian central bank, as its new governor. Sabrine, who has spent years overseeing the war-torn country’s banking sector, becomes the first woman to lead the institution in its 70-year history, according to a senior Syrian official.
Sabrine succeeds Mohammed Issam Hazime, who was appointed by former President Bashar al-Assad in 2021 and remained in his position following Assad’s ousting by a rebel offensive on December 8.
Under the new leadership, the central bank has taken steps to ease state control over the economy, including eliminating the need for pre-approvals for imports and exports, and loosening restrictions on the use of foreign currency. However, Syria and its central bank continue to face strict US sanctions.
The bank has also reviewed the country’s assets in the aftermath of Assad’s departure and a brief period of looting, during which Syrian currency was stolen but the main vaults remained secure.
The vault reportedly contains nearly 26 tons of gold, the same amount it held at the onset of Syria’s civil war in 2011. However, foreign currency reserves have sharply declined from around $18 billion before the war to roughly $200 million, Reuters reported.
