Syria Might Issue a New Digital Currency

Soreyaty, a Syrian company has revealed the completion of a new digital currency which will go by the name of e-Lira. The new cryptocurrency will be launched on January 1st, 2020.

According to Al-Iqtisadi (a Syrian financial news portal), Soreyaty’s CEO Fadi Shammout, told Al-Iqtisadi that the new digital currency will be a stable currency backed by real fiat money and will replace US dollars in all of Syria’s foreign trade and transactions, such as imports and exports.

Soreyaty will open local exchanges all across Syria, so Syrians can exchange the new cryptocurrency with fiat.

The economy of Syria has deteriorated considerably since the beginning of the Syrian Civil War in 2011. Syria’s decreased economic output has also lead to a trade deficit of epic proportions. As a result of the war, Syria’s total exports have eroded to a mere 5% ($622 million) of the country’s 2008 total ($13.3 billion). The country currently faces trade deficit of $3.8 billion.

The U.S. government has imposed a series of economic sanctions on Syria. These include legislatively mandated penalties, including export sanctions and ineligibility to receive most forms of U.S. aid or to purchase U.S. military equipment.