In 1972, he earned a scholarship from USAID to study at Williams College and graduated with Master of Arts in Development Economics in 1973.

He later served a three-year term as Senior Financial Economist at the World Bank, Washington DC.

In late 1997, Indonesian President Suharto summoned him back to Bank Indonesia, at which time the country was suffering from the Asian financial crisis.

In February 1998, at the height of the economic and financial crisis, he was appointed Governor of Bank Indonesia, succeeding Soedradjad Djiwandono.

Then in 2009, in a controversial procedure, the Supreme Court re-examined the case and sentenced Syahril to two years' imprisonment.