Syria appoint first woman to lead central bank

A woman will lead the Central Bank of Syria for the first time in the institution's 70-year history after the country’s new leadership appointed Maysaa Sabrine.

A woman will lead the Central Bank of Syria for the first time in the institution's 70-year history after the country’s new leadership appointed Maysaa Sabrine, a former deputy governor of the bank, to helm it.

In leading the institution that manages the country's currency and sets its monetary policy, she will be in a prime position to help heal an economy shattered by 13 years of war and stringent international sanctions. Today, about 70% of Syria's population lives in poverty, and another 30% in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank.

Sabrine, whose appointment was reported by Reuters, is expected to replace Mohammed Issam Hazime, who had been named governor in 2021 by since-ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad.

She now faces the task of leading the bank through a dire financial landscape, with Syria’s economy having deteriorated significantly in the years since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

Her rise to the top role comes as Syria's new de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham group, which led rebel forces in the Assad regime's ouster, seek to project a more moderate image, promising an inclusive society in which the country's myriad religious and ethnic groups, as well as women, will be represented.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/syria-appoint-first-woman-lead-central-bank-rcna185836

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