Syria is embarking on a cautious reentry into the global financial system after more than a decade of war and isolation. In a milestone, the US Congress in December permanently repealed the 2019 Caesar Act—the most severe set of sanctions against Damascus. “This decision allows Syrian banks to reconnect with the international financial system, and in particular the Swift system,” says Ali Awdeh, head of research at the Union of Arab Banks. The repeal also reopens Syria to foreign financial