Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa made a Visa card payment at a restaurant in Old Damascus on Wednesday, with Central Bank of Syria Governor Safwat Raslan present. Separately, Visa said Thursday that it had successfully tested a live international card transaction in Syria with the Central Bank of Syria, Fransabank and Paymera. The company said the test could help international visitors use Visa cards in the country and support broader efforts to expand digital payments and reconnect Syria with the global digital economy. The development follows sanctions relief and Syria's efforts to rebuild its economy and restore access to international markets. At the opening of the 63rd Damascus International Fair, Sharaa said Syria had entered a new phase of reconstruction and development and hoped the country would again serve as a bridge between markets, a trade corridor and an economic hub linking East and West. The US Treasury Department said Monday that it had removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, fulfilling the Trump administration's commitments to provide sanctions relief. Syria had been on the list since 1979.