Damascus-Sana
In parallel with the precautionary measures applied to tackle the Corona virus, the Central Bank of Syria continues to provide a set of basic financial and banking services with the aim of facilitating the work of public agencies and simplifying citizen transactions and shortening the effort made to accomplish them while suspending some unauthorized services and reducing the number of workers in it to the minimum required to continue the work.
Sana's camera toured the central departments concerned with providing services to public entities and citizens, especially the central treasury, current accounts, risk management and technology, and met a member of the central management committee and the supervising director Samar Barhoum, who explained that the bank continues to provide basic services represented by checks, transfers, cash payments, payment of allowances, receipt of deposits and purchase of foreign currencies Payment of outstanding advances, customs settlements and the bank settlement system (SYGS).
Concerning the suspended or executed services at the minimum level, Barhoum pointed out that the provision of services related to import and export and non-urgent legal issues has been reduced to the minimum, suspension of providing services "replacing distorted banknotes and exchange and licensing procedures and clearing checks between banks and services related to commercial operations, delegates, hotels and aviation."
Barhoum revealed that the Central has taken an action in relation to providing services represented by increasing the period of payment of salaries to delegates of public agencies that have accounts in the Central to the last 5 days of the month after it was 3 days earlier and allocating new windows in order to meet the requests of public agencies more and faster and reduce congestion and maintain Distances between auditors.
She pointed to reducing the number of employees in the center to the minimum required in a way that does not affect the quality and quality of services provided in parallel with the application of a set of strict precautionary measures to address the Corona virus, including requiring his workers to wear gloves and masks, cleaning windows and tables for providing services every hour, wiping them with sterilizers, and sterilizing the entire building.
With regard to the service of the bank settlement system, SYGS, which the Central Bank continues to provide to its clients, Dr. Yahya Hassoun, Director of the bank's payment systems, explained that this system relates to the central implementation of financial transfers for any citizen from any bank to another bank, whether they relate to commercial or personal transactions such as real estate sales, stressing that The Central has established two contingency plans that guarantee the continuation of work and the provision of basic services in various circumstances.
Central risk manager Randa Moftah indicated in a similar statement that there is a committee formed by the central and several directorates to continue studying operational and financial risks and their implications in general and cooperate with banks in order to continue to provide services to public agencies and citizens in an optimal way.
Wasim Adawi
