So, you're looking for the syrian dinar to dollar exchange rate? I hate to be the bearer of pedantic news, but we have to clear something up right away. Syria doesn't actually use a "dinar." They use the Syrian Pound (SYP), often called the lira locally.
I know, I know—the "dinar" is the currency in Iraq, Jordan, and Kuwait, so it’s an easy mistake to make when you’re looking at Middle Eastern markets. But if you’re trying to move money or check values, searching for a "dinar" might land you on the wrong page. Right now, in January 2026, the Syrian currency situation is probably the most confusing it has been in half a century. We aren't just talking about a fluctuating rate; the country is literally swapping out its entire money supply as we speak.
The Massive 2026 Currency Reset
As of January 1, 2026, the Central Bank of Syria, under the new transitional government, officially started lopping zeros off the currency. Honestly, it was about time. For years, you had to carry a backpack full of cash just to pay for a decent dinner in Damascus.
The government issued Decree No. 293, which removed two zeros from the old notes. Here is the basic math: 100 "old" Syrian pounds now equals 1 "new" Syrian pound. If you are looking for the syrian dinar to dollar (again, pound to dollar) today, you’re going to see two very different numbers depending on where you look. This is called "redenomination." It doesn't magically make the country richer, but it stops people from having to count millions of piasters just to buy a kilo of tomatoes.
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Why the Rate Is Such a Moving Target
- The Official Rate: The Central Bank is trying to hold the line. Currently, the "new" pound is hovering around 115 to 118 SYP per 1 USD.
- The Black Market: Even with the fall of the old regime in late 2024, the parallel market hasn't vanished. It’s "gray" now. You’ll often find traders offering a slightly different rate, maybe 120 or 122, depending on how many crisp greenbacks you’re holding.
- The Legacy Rate: If you’re still holding those old bills with the former president's face on them—the ones where the rate was 11,800 to 1—you only have a 90-day window to swap them at a bank. After that, they’re basically wallpaper.
The "Dinar" Confusion Explained
Why do so many people type "syrian dinar to dollar" into Google? It’s likely a mix of regional proximity and history. Back in the 1920s, during the very brief Arab Kingdom of Syria under King Faisal I, there was actually a plan to use a gold-standard dinar. It didn't last. The French arrived, established their mandate, and tied the currency to the franc, calling it the pound.
Since then, the name has stuck. But in 2026, names are the least of the country's worries. Central Bank Governor Abdulkader Husrieh has been all over the news lately, trying to convince the public that this new currency isn't just a "cosmetic" change. He’s calling it a "pivotal national milestone."
Whether it actually stabilizes depends on whether people trust the new guys in charge. If you’ve lived through 14 years of hyperinflation, you don't just start trusting a new piece of paper because it has fewer zeros on it.
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Real-World Impact: What $100 Gets You Now
To give you some perspective, let’s look at what's happening on the ground in Damascus or Aleppo. A year or two ago, if you walked into a shop with a $100 bill, the merchant would look at you with a mix of joy and terror. Joy because they want the dollars; terror because they’d have to spend ten minutes counting the literal bricks of Syrian pounds they had to give you back.
Now, with the syrian dinar to dollar (pound) revaluation:
- You hand over $100.
- You get back roughly 11,800 new Syrian pounds.
- That’s about 24 notes of the new 500-pound denomination.
It fits in a wallet. That sounds like a small thing, but for a cash-based economy that’s been shattered by war and sanctions (many of which, like the Caesar Act, were recently repealed), it’s a huge psychological shift.
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Is it a Good Time to Exchange?
Honestly, it's risky. The World Bank is projecting a tiny bit of growth for Syria this year—maybe 1%—but that's after the economy basically evaporated over the last decade. The "new" pound is currently in a 90-day "dual circulation" period. This means both the old "Assad-era" bills and the new "SAR" (Syrian Arab Republic) bills are being accepted.
Most savvy locals are still hoarding USD or even Turkish Lira in the north. They’re waiting to see if the transitional government can actually back the new currency with something other than promises. If the government starts printing too much of the "new" money to pay for reconstruction, we’ll be right back where we started, adding zeros again by 2027.
Moving Your Money
If you’re trying to send money to family, don't use the old "black market" apps that haven't updated their APIs. They might still show the 15,000+ rates, which will confuse the heck out of your recipients when they receive "new" pounds.
Use registered exchange houses that are authorized by the Central Bank. They are currently the only ones legally allowed to handle the "new" currency swap. And remember, the limit for physical cash exchange is being monitored strictly to prevent "hoarding" or money laundering during the transition.
Practical Steps for Handling Syrian Currency
- Verify the Note: New banknotes have specific holographic features and do not feature the previous political leadership. If someone hands you a 5,000-pound note with Hafez al-Assad on it, that’s the "old" money. It’s still worth something until the end of March 2026, but its value is 1/100th of the new face value.
- Watch the Dates: The 90-day swap window is critical. If you are an expat with Syrian currency stashed in a drawer in Europe or the US, you need to find a way to get that into a Syrian bank account or exchange it before the deadline.
- Check the Spread: Don't accept the first rate you see at the border or the airport. Even with the revaluation, the "spread" between buying and selling USD can be as much as 5-7%.
- Think in "New" Hundreds: When negotiating prices, make sure the merchant is quoting you in "new" pounds. A price of "80" means 80 new pounds (about 70 cents), not 8,000 old ones.
The transition from the old syrian dinar to dollar (pound) rates is more than just a math problem; it's a test of the country's new identity. While the name "dinar" still pops up in casual conversation and mistaken search queries, the reality is a "new pound" struggling to find its footing in a very fragile post-war economy.