Ministry of Communications and Information Technology signs agreement with Visa to support Syria’s digital economy development

San Francisco, United States — 26 February 2026 — Syria's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MOCT) and Visa, a global leader in digital payments, signed a cooperation agreement to support the country's transformation and the development of a modern and inclusive digital economy.

The agreement was signed at Visa’s headquarters in San Francisco, attended by His Excellency Abdulsalam Haykal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Syria and Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President, North Africa, Levant and Pakistan. It establishes a collaboration framework to advance digital infrastructure, financial inclusion, fintech innovation, including the development of a regulatory sandbox framework tailored to Syria’s digital economy. Other areas include up-skilling and capacity building initiatives, collaboration on cybersecurity and fraud prevention, and access to Visa’s consulting services to support Syria’s broader digital economy plans.

The collaboration aims to unlock greater participation in the digital economy for micro, small, and medium enterprises by supporting the adoption of digital payments, access to financial services, and the digitization of everyday business transactions, in line with global interoperability and security standards.

Visa and MOCT plan to collaborate on the design and launch of a dedicated Syrian fintech innovation competition. Through Visa’s global fintech platforms, selected innovators will gain visibility and exposure to regional and international partners, investors, and ecosystem stakeholders.

His Excellency Abdulsalam Haykal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Syria, said: “Enabling the digital economy is one the Ministry’s top priorities, and so is the enablement of tech startups to find sustainable solutions to digital services. Our collaboration with Visa reflects our focus on best practices, shaping digital government, payments, and innovation frameworks that serve Syria’s citizens and businesses alike.”

Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President, & Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan, Visa, said: “The signing of the MoU today builds on our continued engagement and support for establishing a future-ready payments ecosystem in Syria. By combining the MOCT’s national digital strategy with Visa’s global payments experience, we will work together on strengthening the core infrastructure needed for a modern digital economy and help digital services in Syria function more reliably and at scale.”

Left to right: Abdulwahab Omira, Head of AI and Government Applications, Syrian Ministry of ICT, H.E. Minister Abdulsalam Haykal, Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan, Visa, Steve Lutes, Vice President, Middle East, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Left to right: Abdulwahab Omira, Head of AI and Government Applications, Syrian Ministry of ICT; H.E. Minister Abdulsalam Haykal; Leila Serhan, Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant and Pakistan, Visa; Steve Lutes, Vice President, Middle East, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

About Visa

Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. Learn more at Visa.com.

Media Contact

Tala Toukan
[email protected]  

Jagruti Mistry
[email protected]