Syria to Revaule Its Currency - Drop Two Zeros in December of 2025
Syria Plans to Drop Two Zeros from Its Currency to Make Money Easier to Use.
Syria is preparing to issue new banknotes, removing two zeros from its currency, the Syrian pound. This means that what used to be worth 10,000 pounds will soon become worth just 100. This change is aimed at making money easier to handle and helping people trust the currency again.
The Syrian pound has lost more than 99% of its value since the war began in 2011—back then, one US dollar was worth about 50 pounds: now it’s roughly 10,000 pounds . Because the money is worth so little, families often carry half a kilo of 5,000‑pound notes just for their weekly groceries.
The head of Syria’s central bank, Governor Abdelkader Husrieh, said this plan is an important part of bigger money reforms. He added that a special committee made up of people from public and private banks is planning how to roll out the new notes.
Some Think It’s a Big Movem Others Say It’s Just for Show.
Economists are split about whether removing zeros from the currency will actually help fix Syria’s economy. Karim al‑Assad believes it’s a historic step that could bring back respect for the Syrian pound. He says this move, along with reconnecting to the international SWIFT banking system, might finally lead to "real monetary stability".
But political economist Hani Diab thinks this change is mostly cosmetic. He says cutting zeros doesn’t solve the deep economic problems Syria faces. He also worries that hiring Russia’s state mint, Goznak, to print the new money—when Russia is under Western sanctions—could make it even harder for Syria to trade with other countries.
When Will the New Money Come?
The central bank announced that the new notes will be introduced on December 8, which is exactly one year since President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in 2024.
The plan is for both old and new notes to be used at the same time until late 2026, giving people time to adjust. They’re also planning a national campaign to teach everyone how to use the new money—because that’s really important when you're changing something everyone uses every day.
Governor Husrieh described this as a “cornerstone of reform.” He noted that the Syrian pound had recently gained about 35% in value over the past year as inflation slowed and some banking sanctions were eased. He also pointed out that the designs of the new banknotes will show symbols of "freedom and stability." And, he said, the government is trying to bring back both local and foreign banks and rebuild ties with the global financial system.
By looking at the patterns of other countries, we may be able to understand how Iraq might handle the adjustment or revaluation of the IQD. We can also explore how investors earn or lose money when a country re-values its currency.
Turkey
In 2005, Turkey dropped six zeros from its old lira. Imagine having to pay 1,000,000 lira for a sandwich! That was confusing and made the money seem weak. By removing six zeros, 1,000,000 lira became just 1 lira. This didn’t instantly fix the economy, but it made shopping, accounting, and banking much simpler. Over time, Turkey was able to rebuild confidence in its money.
Zimbabwe is the most famous example of hyperinflation (prices going up super fast). In the 2000s, the country kept printing money, which made prices skyrocket. At one point, people needed trillions of Zimbabwean dollars to buy bread. The government tried removing zeros several times—first three, then another three, and even more later. But because the root problems (like too much money printing and weak production) weren’t solved, the new money kept losing value. Eventually, Zimbabwe had to stop using its currency and allowed people to use US dollars and other foreign currencies instead.
Brazil
In the 1980s and early 1990s, Brazil went through many currency changes because of high inflation. The government introduced new currencies and dropped zeros multiple times. Finally, in 1994, Brazil created the “real” (BRL), which is still in use today. What made it work was not just removing zeros—it was also combining it with real economic reforms, like controlling government spending and stabilizing prices. That’s why Brazil’s plan succeeded in the long run.
Argentina
Argentina has also dropped zeros from its currency several times. Like Brazil, it faced long periods of inflation. For example, in 1983, Argentina cut four zeros off its peso. Later, they did another reset. But because inflation kept returning, the new money still struggled. This shows that simply removing zeros isn’t enough—you also need strong policies to stop inflation and rebuild trust.
Russia
After the Soviet Union collapsed, Russia revalued its ruble in 1998 by removing three zeros. Before that, people needed large stacks of money for simple things. The change made it easier to use, but again, what really mattered was fixing the economy through reforms.
In Simple Terms
Revaluing a currency by dropping zeros is like cleaning up messy math—it makes numbers easier to use, but it doesn’t automatically solve the problem. If a country doesn’t fix the reasons why its money lost value (like printing too much money, war, or bad economic policies), then the new currency can quickly become weak again. Successful cases, like Turkey and Brazil, worked because they combined the currency reset with real reforms to stabilize the economy.
When a country revalues its currency, investors can either make a profit or lose money depending on how the value changes and when they bought in. For example, if an investor buys a currency when it is very cheap—like Iraq’s dinar after years of sanctions—and later the government strengthens the currency by raising its official value, the investor’s money could suddenly be worth much more when exchanged back into dollars or euros. In Syria's case, the strengthening can happen over time, as it can with Iraq.
That’s how some people hope to make money with the Iraqi dinar. On the other hand, if a country like Syria removes zeros from its money but the economy is still weak, the new bills may look nicer, but their real buying power might not improve. In that case, investors holding a lot of Syrian pounds could lose because the currency still can’t buy much, and international demand for it remains low. In short, investors can profit if a revaluation is backed by real economic growth and stability, but they risk losing if the changes are only cosmetic and the deeper problems remain.
