Currency exchange crisis deepens in Hasakah despite deadline extension

Although the Central Bank of Syria extended the deadline from August 2 to August 6 for withdrawing the remaining old Syrian banknotes and replacing them with new ones, the currency exchange crisis continues to affect daily life across Hasakah Governorate.

The central bank had initially set July 30, 2026, as the deadline for exchanging the old currency before granting an additional one-week extension. However, residents say the extension is insufficient due to the limited number of exchange centers and the inadequate supply of new banknotes to the governorate.

At Hasakah's wholesale vegetable market, resident Adnan al-Jarraf said the refusal of some shops to deal with old banknotes has disrupted buying and selling. He said he was forced to visit a money exchanger to convert his cash, only to have nearly 100,000 Syrian pounds deducted for every one million pounds exchanged.

He added that the refusal to deal with the old 1,000- and 500-pound banknotes has further increased residents' hardship, calling for the opening of additional exchange centers instead of forcing people to travel to Damascus or wait for hours at the governorate's only exchange center.

Meanwhile, resident Khidr Salmo said the currency exchange crisis has become one of the biggest challenges facing traders at the wholesale market. Farmers are struggling to buy fuel because old banknotes are no longer accepted, while some money changers either refuse certain denominations or impose significant losses on citizens during the exchange process.

He noted that workers earning between 50,000 and 100,000 Syrian pounds a day cannot afford the cost or inconvenience of traveling to exchange centers. He called for extending the deadline, opening more exchange centers, and coordinating with money changers and merchants to facilitate the process.

For his part, resident Hamad al-Mukhlif said the continued rejection of old banknotes in local markets threatens the livelihoods of shop owners, as many customers possess only old currency while wholesale traders refuse to accept it, bringing market activity close to a standstill.

Al-Mukhlif also called for extending the exchange deadline and increasing the number of exchange centers, stressing that a single center is insufficient to serve the province's population amid long queues and a shortage of new cash, directly affecting both market activity and residents' livelihoods.

a.k

ANHA