The new banknotes, which will feature olives, roses, wheat, and oranges instead of images of the ousted president and his father, will start to be used from January 1, 2026.
Ahmed al-Sharaa, the acting president, showcased these new banknotes, which will replace the old notes featuring Bashar al-Assad and his family members. Assad's portrait was on the 2000-pound note, while his father Hafez's was on the 1000-pound note.
According to the announced monetary reform initiated by the head of the Central Bank of Syria, Abd al-Qadr Khusri, a new currency will be introduced—the Syrian pound, which will be equal to 100 old pounds. Banknotes ranging from 10 to 500 Syrian pounds will start to be used from January 1 of next year and will be adorned with images of Damascene roses, wheat, olives, oranges, and other agricultural products.
The Syrian government aims to restore the country's economy after more than ten years of war and sanctions. One of the main tasks of the authorities is to stabilize the exchange rate of the Syrian pound, which has depreciated from 50 to approximately 11,000 per dollar since the beginning of the civil conflict in 2011. As a result, residents of the country have had to carry large amounts of money even for purchasing groceries.
