Sila Wafi
In the Syrian governorate of Idlib, which is controlled by the opposition, there are 250 remittance offices, which are the alternative to remittance offices in the regime areas.
According to Mamoun al-Dabaa, an exchange bureau owner, these offices are very important, such as grocery stores and clothing. Citizens living in Idlib have difficulty going to areas controlled by the Assad regime for fear of arrest. Traders need to exchange their currencies which helps them to import goods.
He adds that Sarmada is the most active city where exchange offices are active because it is a commercial border area, where the number of offices exceeds 100.
Although these offices are personal and not affiliated with companies, they have been able to fill a significant gap in remittances and currency exchange.
Mamoun points out that there are five major companies in Turkey, which form a link between these offices and the offices in the rest of the world to exchange remittances to and from Idlib.
According to the spokesman, a minimum of seventy clients come to each exchange office daily, and there are larger companies that do not reach at least 300 clients a day, while the volume of trading in Idlib province is $ 200,000 per day.
According to dealers, one office receives a minimum of seventy customers a day (Al Jazeera) |
Secret dealings
Mamoun confirms the existence of exports of remittances, both within the opposition and regime areas, but secretly and informally.
He adds that in terms of the exchange rate of the dollar is fixed, but it is the Syrian pound that oscillates and falls significantly, leading to the loss of their purchasing value.
"The dollar exchange rate changes instantaneously as in the stock market, every five or ten minutes there is a new and different rate, and rarely in a stable situation, so the commission rates differ on each transfer from one company to another."
He attributed the difference in the deductible commission to the high wages of some companies and the speed of offices in dealing and delivery of remittances, in addition to the distance that plays a role in determining the commission of the transfer.
It is noteworthy that the amount of one thousand Turkish liras, the commission of five Turkish liras, or the equivalent of 600 Syrian pounds, a small amount, as for remittances dollar has several segments vary according to the amounts transferred, for example, $ 100 commission is two dollars.
System rig
Maamoun says that what distinguishes the offices in Idlib is the ease and speed of dealing away from any complications, "where we deliver remittances to people by any personal proof, be it a copy of the hawala notification, family book, ID or other, in addition to the possibility of dealing freely in all currencies Either the dollar, the riyal or the Turkish lira. "
"On the contrary, the regime's areas of control do not deal with the dollar and are only officially recognized, either through recognized official firms or the central bank, as well as the complexities and limitations imposed by them and security tightening."
He explains that these are the reasons for "the exchange rate difference between us, when the value of the dollar we have 725 pounds in areas controlled by 750 pounds, in order to encourage citizens and offices to exchange through his offices so that he can secure his need of the dollar."
The majority of the people in Idlib make a living on the remittances they receive from their families in the Diaspora (Al-Jazeera) |
Abu Shadi, who declined to give his real name for security reasons and is the owner of one of the remittance offices, says that the mechanism of their work as money exchanges depends on the scope of a wide-ranging web, linking the province of Idlib to the countries of Europe, the Gulf and all over the world, all through an electronic application Deal with all comfort.
He adds that the volume of outgoing and incoming remittances entering and exiting daily to and from Idlib ranges from one office to another, "where I deliver at least $ 25,000 a day, varying between one dollar, one Turkish lira, one euro and one Syrian pound, on a small remittance scale only." .
As for large remittances, Abu Shadi adds to the island Net that it ranges daily from one hundred thousand to two hundred thousand dollars and belong to traders.
Abu Shadi and Mamoun al-Dabaa talked about some of the obstacles they face, such as the instability of the security situation and the displacement of southern areas such as Kafr Nabl, Ma'rat al-Nu'man and Khan Sheikhoun, which have left them untreated, changing the exchange rate that exposes them to significant losses, in addition to repeated kidnappings targeting offices. And gold shops, and sanctions against Syria.
Citizens and Remittances
The majority of residents in Idlib make a living on remittances that they receive from their relatives in the Diaspora, where the money is received from the exchange offices in dollars in the opposition areas, while receiving it in Syrian pounds exclusively in areas controlled by the regime.
Abu Jabal told Al-Jazeera Net, "Without the amount that comes to me almost every month or two, estimated at $ 100, I would not have been able to make a living, because my wage is not enough for the price of bread alone."
"The commissions wages deducted by the remittance offices here are nominal, simple and commensurate with us, and do not exceed one or two dollars."
For her part, Huda said that had it not been for remittances received every three months from her cousins in the Gulf countries, she would now be living in a camp with her family, and says that these remittances are a window of hope to pay her rent.