A woman will lead the Central Bank of Syria for the first time in the institution’s 70-year history after the country’s new leadership appointed Maysaa Sabrine, a former deputy governor of the bank, to helm it.

In leading the institution that manages the country’s currency and sets its monetary policy, she will be in a prime position to help heal an economy shattered by 13 years of war and stringent international sanctions. Today, about 70% of Syria’s population lives in poverty, and…