Central Bank extends deadline for withdrawing old currency in Eastern Governorates until August 20

The Central Bank of Syria has extended the period for exchanging old currency in the provinces of the Eastern Region, following severe congestion at Syrian bank branches in those areas. In a statement posted on its Facebook account and other official channels, the bank announced that it would continue to accept requests to withdraw old Syrian currency in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Al-Hasakah until Thursday, August 20, 2026, through branches of the Central Bank of Syria and outlets of the Syrian Post.

Governor of the bank, Muhammad Safwat Ruslan, said in a post on the X platform yesterday that he had directly monitored the status of the old currency withdrawal process in the eastern provinces over the past two days, through continuous communication with staff of the Central Bank of Syria and the Syrian Post, to review the progress of operations and listen to field needs.

He added that the extension decision was based on the results of this monitoring, emphasizing that this phase affects every citizen and that the bank’s responsibility requires staying close to ground realities and following up on various needs, in order to facilitate the completion of procedures in the best possible manner.

The bank had previously announced on August 2 that the withdrawal of old Syrian currency would be available in all provinces, with its value settled in new Syrian currency, for a period of only one week, which ended yesterday, with no commissions, fees, taxes, or expenses charged.