The Syrian Commercial Bank announced today, Thursday, February 20, that a new ATM hall has been prepared in Damascus.
The Commercial Bank stated that it has completed the preparation of a new ATM hall in the Governorate Square in downtown Damascus to facilitate the process of citizens withdrawing their financial entitlements.
The bank has started receiving citizens at this hall for withdrawing their financial entitlements starting today.
The hall will contribute to alleviating the citizens’ suffering, according to the bank, as these ATMs are located in the busiest center of the city, ensuring longer working hours.
The Syrian Commercial Bank confirmed the continued operation of the existing ATMs at the bank’s branch on the Governorate Square in Damascus, as well as the other halls in the Syrian Insurance Institution building.
Earlier, on January 13, the Syrian Commercial Bank issued several instructions to facilitate salary disbursement for employees.
The bank’s management instructed all branches to monitor the replenishment of the ATMs belonging to each branch across all provinces and ensure their operational status.
The bank’s management also directed all branches to facilitate cash withdrawals from electronic POS machines within branches up to 500,000 Syrian pounds daily, to avoid congestion in front of the ATMs and to ensure “maximum convenience for citizens seeking to receive their salaries and financial entitlements.”
The Syrian Commercial Bank also confirmed that it offers a service for cashing salary checks according to regulatory controls, new account openings, card renewals, and issuing replacement cards for lost or damaged ones.
On December 18, 2024, the Central Bank of Syria (CBS) announced the resumption of ATM services in Syria and the addition of electronic payment services.
The Syrian Central Bank urged Syrians to cooperate with banks to obtain their legally guaranteed entitlements, indicating that banks throughout Syria have been directed to monitor and regulate withdrawal operations.
Long queues and congestion have been seen in front of ATMs following the decision to distribute salaries and pensions, with many Syrians complaining about money running out at ATMs or them being out of service. Many often wait for several hours in line only to leave without receiving their salaries, a situation that has repeated itself for many over consecutive days.
The ATMs belonging to the Real Estate and Commercial banks are considered the oldest and most prone to malfunctions, in addition to the slow operation of those that are working in processing cash transactions.