The Directorate of Industrial and Handicraft Investment at Syria’s Ministry of Economy and Industry announced that 3,031 industrial and artisanal projects were licensed across Syrian provinces from the start of 2025 through the end of September.

According to a ministry statement carried by the SANA on Monday, October 3, 2,443 industrial projects were licensed, of which 218 entered production. In parallel, 588 artisanal projects were licensed, with 56 brought into operation.

Among licensed industrial projects, the chemical sector led with 741 projects, followed by engineering with 607, food with 610, and textiles with 485. Of these, 98 chemical facilities, 74 food facilities, 26 engineering facilities, and 20 textile facilities have begun operating.

Licensed artisanal projects were distributed as 202 engineering, 208 food, 125 chemical, and 53 textile projects. Of the 56 operational artisanal projects, 39 were in food, 12 in engineering, two in textiles, and three in chemicals.

50 foreign company branches

The General Directorate of Domestic Trade and Consumer Protection said its Department of Foreign Company Branches and Agencies has registered roughly 50 branches of foreign companies and 40 foreign agencies since the fall of the former Assad regime.

Mohammad Hossam al-Shalati, head of the department, said these figures reflect rising investor confidence in Syria’s business climate. He told SANA on November 2 that procedures to register foreign firms have become simple, fast, and now cover representative offices, regional offices, and temporary offices.

He added that registration, certification, and amendment fees are among the cheapest globally, ranging between 150,000 and 200,000 Syrian pounds, under 20 US dollars. The department receives many daily inquiries from Arab and foreign investors, which he described as a sign of growing interest in the Syrian market and optimism about an approaching new economic phase.

On September 9, the Ministry of Economy and Industry transferred the Department of Foreign Company Branches and Agencies from the Directorate of Foreign Trade to the Directorate of Companies within the General Directorate of Domestic Trade and Consumer Protection in Damascus (southern Syria) to streamline oversight and unify references for foreign companies operating in Syria.

11,000 companies by September

The Syrian Ministry of Economy and Industry announced that 11,172 companies were registered in Syria from the start of 2025 through the end of September, according to the Ministry’s Companies Directorate.

In a statement posted on Facebook on October 14, the Ministry said 8,693 registrations were for individual commercial records, while 1,044 were partnerships, including 942 general partnerships and 102 limited partnerships.

Company limited by shares registrations numbered 1,435, including 17 joint-stock companies and 1,418 limited liability companies.

During the same period, 1,418 companies were struck off the register, including 1,164 individual commercial registrations and 254 company records.

The Directorate of Intellectual Property Protection within the General Directorate of Domestic Trade and Consumer Protection issued its activity statistics for the first three quarters of 2025 as follows:

• Local trademark filing requests: 8,419
• Local renewal requests: 1,822
• Trademark registration certificates issued: 3,233
• Trademark renewal certificates issued: 1,767
• Industrial design and model filing and renewal requests: 370
• Industrial design and model certificates issued: 242
• Patent filing requests: 84
• Patent certificates issued: 46
• Certificates of record updates: 264
• Objections filed to the Judicial Committee: 565
• Objections filed to the Publication Committee: 263
• Complaints received by judicial inspectors: 116
• International registration requests: 5,210