New details emerged on 2026-09-24 regarding a $167.5 million class action settlement involving ATM fees and the payment companies Visa and Mastercard. Consumers had until 2027-02-10 to file claims.
On September 10, 2026, payment giants Visa and Mastercard announced collaboration with Ant International to establish common standards for AI-agent payments, including mechanisms to verify and monitor transactions conducted by autonomous agents.
Visa and Mastercard processed their first international transactions in Syria on 27 August 2026, days after the US removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on 24 August. The move reconnected Syria to major global payment networks.
The United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on August 25, rescinding a decades-old designation and lifting economic sanctions as the country rebuilds following its brutal civil war.
The U.S. State Department removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism on August 24, 2026, after 46 years of designation. The move is a significant step for Damascus as Syria's government works to move past the Bashar al-Assad era and the country's decade-long civil war, and removes a major obstacle to international investment.