Damascus moves to appoint Safwat Raslan as Central Bank Governor

Reuters, citing two sources in the Syrian banking sector, revealed that the interim government intends to appoint Syrian-German banker Safwat Raslan as Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, succeeding Abdel Qader Hasriya.

15 May, 2026 21:43

NEWS DESK

The interim government is preparing to appoint Syrian-German banker Safwat Raslan as Governor of the Central Bank of Syria, replacing Abdel Qader Hasriya, according to two sources in the Syrian banking sector cited by Reuters.

Reuters quoted the sources as saying that Raslan’s appointment comes as part of a broader restructuring of the country’s economic and financial institutions.

Raslan, who currently serves as Director General of the Syrian Development Fund, left Syria for Germany during the war, where he obtained asylum and later German citizenship, before returning to assume economic positions following the fall of the Assad regime.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed Abdel Qader Hasriya as Governor of the Central Bank in April 2025. During his tenure, Syria carried out its first international bank transfer through the SWIFT system since the outbreak of the war.

ANHA