Afghanistan's financial institutions face an uncertain future, bankers say, with questions looming over everything from liquidity to female staff returning to work after the Taliban's takeover
Afghan people stand in a queue as they wait for their turn to collect money from an ATM in front of a bank along a roadside in Kabul on August 21, 2021, days after the Taliban stunning takeover of Afghanistan.
"The banks continue to be closed – with no clear signs of reopening, they have run out of money," said Gazal Gailani, trade and economic adviser at the Afghan embassy in London.Many rural areas get by largely without banks. But in the cities, where government worker salaries are often paid into bank accounts, closures are causing hardship in a mostly cash-based economy.
Commercial banks had collectively decided to suspend services until the central bank confirmed liquidity and security arrangements, he said.Major liquidity challenges "Banks will face major liquidity challenges as central bank officials have not had access to reserves yet," the banker said. Faith in the banking system was severely damaged by the 2010 collapse of Kabul Bank, in one of the biggest corruption scandals of the 20-year Western presence in Afghanistan.
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