Before June 2025, if you were a Syrian citizen trying to use Bitcoin or Ethereum, you were breaking U.S. law. Not because you were doing anything shady - but because the U.S. government had blocked nearly every financial connection between Syrians and the global digital economy. Crypto exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken couldn’t serve you. Wallet providers wouldn’t let you sign up. Even sending a small amount of crypto to a family member abroad could trigger a federal investigation. That changed on July 1, 2025.

The Sanctions That Locked Syrians Out of Crypto

For over 20 years, U.S. sanctions on Syria were sweeping. They didn’t just target warlords or regime officials - they blocked everyone. The Syrian Sanctions Regulations (SySR), first issued in 2004, made it illegal for any U.S. person or company to engage in transactions with Syrian nationals, regardless of their role in society. This meant Syrian students, doctors, small business owners, and farmers couldn’t use crypto platforms, even if they had no ties to the government. Many turned to peer-to-peer trades, offshore exchanges, or informal networks just to hold value. But those workarounds were risky, slow, and often left people vulnerable to scams.

What Changed in June and July 2025

On June 30, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14312, revoking six core sanctions orders that had been the legal backbone of Syria’s financial isolation. The next day, July 1, those restrictions officially ended. By August 26, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed the entire Syrian Sanctions Regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations. It wasn’t a tweak - it was a full deletion. The program that had been used to freeze Syrian bank accounts and shut down crypto access for over two decades was erased from U.S. law.

General License 25: The Key That Unlocked Access

Even before the full repeal, General License 25, issued on May 28, 2025, gave Syrian users a legal path forward. It authorized transactions that would have otherwise violated the SySR - including buying, selling, or holding cryptocurrency with U.S.-based platforms. This license didn’t just allow exceptions - it made those activities legal by default. Suddenly, Syrians could open accounts on Binance, Kraken, or even decentralized wallets like MetaMask without fear of violating U.S. law. The license covered individuals, not just companies, meaning ordinary people could now access global crypto markets.

518 Names Removed from the SDN List

OFAC didn’t just lift blanket restrictions - it cleaned up the list. On August 15, 2025, 518 Syrian individuals and entities were removed from the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. These were people who had been blocked under the old sanctions, even if they had no connection to terrorism, human rights abuses, or the Assad regime. Many were small traders, tech workers, or aid workers who simply lived in Syria. Their removal meant they could now legally hold crypto, receive payments, or invest in blockchain projects without triggering compliance flags.

What’s Still Blocked - And Why It Matters

This wasn’t a total free-for-all. OFAC kept sanctions on more than 100 people and groups tied to the Assad regime, human rights violators, Captagon traffickers, ISIS, Al-Qa’ida, and Iranian proxies. That means crypto platforms still have to screen users - but now the goal is precision, not blanket exclusion. A Syrian teacher in Aleppo can now use a U.S. exchange. A commander linked to chemical weapons cannot. The difference is in the data. Exchanges must now use better identity verification, geolocation checks, and transaction monitoring to tell the two apart. Many smaller platforms still struggle with this. Some still block all Syrian users out of caution - even though they don’t have to.

Technology Is Now Legal to Import

It’s not just money that changed. On September 2, 2025, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) launched License Exception Syria Peace and Prosperity (SPP). This lets anyone send cryptocurrency mining rigs, blockchain servers, or even laptops used for crypto trading into Syria without a special license. Before this, importing a single ASIC miner required months of paperwork and approval - if it was approved at all. Now, Syrian crypto miners can legally buy equipment from U.S. suppliers. This could spark a local blockchain ecosystem, especially in cities like Damascus and Homs, where internet access is improving and young tech talent is growing.

How This Affects Real People

In Aleppo, a woman named Leila runs a small online clothing store. Before July 2025, she had to rely on cash transfers through third parties in Turkey - often losing 20% in fees and waiting weeks for funds. Now, she accepts USDT directly from customers in Jordan and Lebanon. She stores it in a non-custodial wallet and converts it to Syrian pounds through a local exchange that’s now compliant with U.S. rules. In Hama, a university student uses crypto to pay for online courses from U.S. universities. Before, he couldn’t. Now, he can. These aren’t rare cases - they’re becoming common.

The New Name, The New Rules

OFAC didn’t just remove old rules - it renamed the program. On September 24, 2025, the Syrian Sanctions Regulations became the Promoting Accountability for Assad and Regional Stabilization Sanctions Regulations (PAARSS). The new name signals a shift: instead of punishing an entire population, the U.S. is now targeting specific bad actors. This matters because it changes how compliance teams think. Instead of asking, “Is this person from Syria?” they now ask, “Is this person on the SDN list?” That’s a huge difference. It turns a geographic ban into a person-based one.

What’s Next for Syrian Crypto Users

OFAC has said it plans to add new interpretive guidance under PAARSS in late 2025 and early 2026. That could mean clearer rules on DeFi, NFTs, or stablecoin usage. It could also mean new restrictions if the situation in Syria worsens. But for now, the door is open. The biggest challenge isn’t law - it’s awareness. Many Syrians still believe crypto is illegal. Many exchanges still block them out of fear. The real work now is education - for users, for platforms, and for regulators.

Why This Matters Beyond Syria

Syria is the first country where the U.S. completely lifted comprehensive sanctions on a civilian population while keeping targeted sanctions on bad actors. This is a test case for the future of sanctions. If it works - if crypto access improves livelihoods without helping terrorists - other countries could follow. Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea are watching closely. The message is clear: financial inclusion doesn’t mean giving up security. It means being smarter about who you block.