Syria’s Damascus Securities Exchange resumes trading after 6-month hiatus

Syrian authorities resumed trading at the Damascus Securities Exchange (DSE) today after a nearly six-month suspension.

The reopening ceremony marked the relaunch of the stock market, which halted operations in December 2024 for a financial and operational review of listed companies.

The reopening sends a message that “the Syrian economy is beginning to move and recover,” Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Barnieh said in statements carried by the state news agency SANA.

He emphasised that the DSE would operate as a private company and serve as a “real centre for developing Syria’s economy,” with plans to adopt digital advancements.

DES Executive Director Basel Al-Assad called the reopening of the stock market “an important historic day for Syria.”

Today’s trading ceremony was held in the presence of high-level officials and saw broad participation from economic figures, investors, and traders.

The resumption comes as Syria’s new administration intensifies efforts to revive the economy and rebuild the country after 24 years under the ousted regime of Bashar Al-Assad.

The regime’s fall was followed by the establishment of a new government led by Ahmad Al-Sharaa, who had led anti-regime forces to oust Al-Assad. In late January, Al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional period.