Qatar National Bank (QNB) Group, through QNB Syria, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Syrian company “Pemera” for electronic payment services, with the aim of exploring opportunities for developing the digital payments infrastructure in Syria and enhancing connectivity with international payment networks.
The group explained, in a statement, that this partnership aims to employ the local infrastructure for electronic payments provided by Pemera and the capabilities of the QNB Group in the field of accepting payments at the international level, which contributes to supporting a more connected, secure and efficient payments system.
The statement added that by linking local payment acceptance channels with international capabilities, this initiative seeks to expand opportunities for merchants and consumers to benefit from digital payments, supporting efforts to continue modernizing the financial sector in Syria.
Under the memorandum of understanding, the two sides will evaluate opportunities to support card acceptance within the local payments system in Syria, in addition to enabling the acceptance of international cards through the QNB payment acceptance platform.
It is expected that this trend will allow merchants to reach a broader base of customers, while providing consumers with more options and greater flexibility in executing their payments.
Mr. Adel Ali Al-Maliki, Senior Executive Vice President of Retail Banking Services at QNB Group, said: “Our ambitions are to contribute to building a more connected and convenient payment system, in a way that supports the process of economic development in Syria. After we have achieved important progress in enabling the acceptance and issuance of international cards through QNB Syria, we see that this cooperation provides an opportunity to continue building on these achievements and moving forward in this journey.”
He added: “By employing Pemira’s local infrastructure, along with QNB Group’s expertise in international payments and its capabilities in cross-border connectivity, we seek to provide new opportunities for merchants and consumers, which contributes to supporting efforts to modernize the financial sector in Syria and continue developing it.”
For his part, Mr. Ahmed Kharboutli, CEO of Pimera, said: “Enhancing the connection between the local payment infrastructure and international networks constitutes an important pillar for supporting the digital economy process in Syria. Through this cooperation with QNB Group and QNB Syria, we look forward to building on existing local capabilities, expanding the scope of accepting payments, and making digital transactions easier and more flexible for companies and individuals.”