Summary

The Syrian government plans to issue redesigned banknotes and remove several zeros from the Syrian pound in 2026 as part of a redenomination aimed at simplifying transactions and restoring confidence in a currency that has sharply depreciated amid years of conflict and economic strain. Officials say the move will make cash handling easier and signal a step toward stabilization, but they have released few details about accompanying monetary or fiscal measures.

Economists warn that redenomination alone cannot fix underlying problems such as large fiscal deficits, low foreign-exchange reserves, pervasive parallel markets, international sanctions and weak institutional credibility. Without broader policy reforms, external financing and credible management of the exchange rate, new banknotes risk being largely cosmetic and may create short-term disruption or inflationary expectations rather than sustainable recovery, as reported by Al Jazeera