Syria's economic turmoil worsened in 2019 when neighbouring Lebanon, with which it has extensive economic and financial ties, also descended into crisis. Damascus then introduced a plethora of exchange rates for different transactions to safeguard scarce hard currency.

President Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will ease sanctions on Syria could eventually facilitate the country’s recovery from years of civil war and transform the lives of everyday Syrians.

Today’s newsletter features my interview with Syrian Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh, who discusses how US sanctions relief could impact Syria’s reintegration into the global financial system.