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Nomo Upgrades Its Sharia-Compliant International Bank
The fully digital service will use technology from Paymentology’s card issuing platform to offer a next-generation service.
Nomo, the world’s first fully digital Sharia-compliant cross-border bank, has teamed up with leading global issuer-processor Paymentology to build a cutting-edge and seamless customer payment experience.
Nomo offers Middle East customers a wide range of global banking services, including current accounts, property finance, international transfers, and more through its iOS and Android apps. The service also allows users to track spending, make fast payments, and manage their finances more effectively.
Nomo has already benefited from Paymentology’s cloud-based technology by introducing multi-currency accounts offering six currencies – GBP, USD, EUR, KWD, AED, and SAR. The service helps customers avoid exchange fees and provides fast, safe cross-border payments.
Now, as part of the official Nomo / Paymentology partnership, the digital bank will benefit from faster processing times, best-in-class fraud protection, and Mastercard virtual cards. Meanwhile, Paymentology will deliver a real-time data feed, providing granular insights to help Nomo improve its platform.
Martin Heraghty, Regional Director Europe of Paymentology, spoke positively about the collaboration: “As the demand for Sharia-compliant digital products and services continues to grow, Nomo is at the forefront of delivering solutions that cater to the needs of Islamic customers and beyond. With our innovative payment technology, Nomo is paving the way toward a seamless, customer-centric digital banking future. We look forward to launching more ground-breaking services together”.
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Meanwhile, Sean Gilchrist, CEO of Nomo, explained how Paymentology had improved the Nomo offering: “Paymentology’s technology has helped us build a unique offering for our customers, helping them to conduct cross-border transactions without high fees, directly from the Nomo app. We remain committed to continuously developing innovative solutions and reimagining digital Sharia banking for everyone”.
News
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.
Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.
The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc
— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026
“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.
Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.
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The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.
Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.
Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon
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