00:00The US has formally removed Syria from its state sponsors of terrorism list, but comprehensive
00:05US sanctions on Syria ended back in July 2025. So what's happening now?
00:10SST designation carried its own separate restrictions. Any Syrian government property in the US or
00:15passing through a US bank was frozen. Not just cash, but stocks, debts, contracts, insurance,
00:22payouts, even minority stakes and companies. Basically anything deemed to be of value.
00:26The real killer, however, was correspondent banking restrictions. Any foreign bank processing
00:32transactions for Syria will risk losing access to the US correspondent banking system. This
00:37is a network that clears almost all dollar transactions worldwide. The result? Banks everywhere just
00:42avoided Syria entirely, rather than run the risk. The US was also required to vote against
00:47World Bank and IMF loans to Syria. This has all changed. Banks can now deal with Syria without
00:52fear of losing dollar access. Investment towards rebuilding can get going, and Syria badly needs
00:57financing. Post-war reconstruction costs are estimated at $216 billion, according to the World Bank.
01:04That's 10 times the 2024 GDP. But deals have already been in the works. Talks with Bank of America,
01:09a Mastercard payment infrastructure push, and even a $6.4 billion investment deal was signed with Saudi
01:16Arabia. This means Syria is back open to global capital.
