Regarding the “Sham Cash” application during the national transition phase

The Syrian Future Movement believes that the “Sham Cash” application, which has been the primary mandatory method for disbursing state employee salaries in Syria since April 2025,

is a practical transitional tool in deteriorating economic and banking conditions. However, it carries serious security, economic, and social risks that necessitate urgent and systematic intervention to protect citizens’ funds, their privacy, and the state’s digital sovereignty.

The Syrian Future Movement emphasizes that this application currently enables hundreds of thousands of employees to access their salaries relatively quickly and without having to stand in long queues at ATMs or banks, which is crucial in areas with weak or remote banking infrastructure.

The Syrian Future Movement highlights the following fundamental risks and vulnerabilities:

1. Weak Cybersecurity:
   The March 8, 2026 incident (the outage resulting from repeated abuse reports) demonstrated the system’s fragility. With the absence of robust two-factor authentication (2FA), the app’s unavailability on the Google Play and App Stores, and its failure to comply with internationally recognized security standards (such as ISO 27001), the data and financial information of millions of citizens are exposed to hacking or theft.
2. Lack of transparency and potential monopoly:
   The app is linked to two private exchange companies (“Al-Haram” and “Al-Fouad”) that charge a 0.5% commission on withdrawals, generating substantial profits from public sector salaries without sufficient transparency regarding ownership structure, funding sources, or profit distribution.
3. Mandatory use and social injustice: Imposing the app as the sole means of access deprives broad segments of the population (the elderly, people with disabilities, residents of areas with poor coverage, and those without smartphones) of alternative options, constituting unacceptable social discrimination.
4. The Opaque Political and Administrative Legacy:
   The application originated within a previous administrative framework in Idlib linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and was later rolled out nationwide without full disclosure of the transition process, contracts, or true ownership entities. This raises questions about digital sovereignty and vested interests.

The Syrian Future Movement demands the following:

1. Suspension of the mandatory use of “Sham Cash” within a maximum of 30 days, pending a comprehensive and independent security review (national and international) within 60 days.
2. Formation of a committee comprising independent technical experts, representatives from civil society, the Central Bank of Syria, and regulatory bodies, within 45 days, to restructure the digital financial system.
3. Transition to a centralized national platform through a clear roadmap within 90 days for a gradual transition to an open-source government electronic payment system (similar to the Indian UPI model). This includes an urgent first phase (6–9 months) for security and transparency reforms, and a second phase (18–24 months) for the full launch of the national platform.
4. A full public report will be published within 45 days, including: the ownership structure, funding sources, contracts with exchange companies, profit size, and profit distribution mechanism.
5. A national awareness campaign will be launched within 60 days to educate citizens about the dangers of digital fraud, while providing secure alternative payment channels for those unable to use the application.

The Syrian Future Movement rejects the transformation of “Sham Cash” into a permanent source of risk or a tool for private monopoly.

Therefore, we demand a fundamental reform that restores the state’s digital sovereignty, protects citizens’ funds and privacy, and guarantees genuine social justice.