Taliban, US-Afghan Chamber Discuss Trade & Banking In Kabul

The Taliban have announced that Sediqullah Khalid, deputy governor of the group-controlled central bank, held a meeting in Kabul with Jeffrey Grieco, president of the Afghan-US Chamber of Commerce.

According to a statement released Saturday by the Taliban-run central bank, the two discussed strengthening trade ties, expanding banking relations, and supporting the private sector in Afghanistan.

The bank quoted Grieco as saying that a conference aimed at expanding international banking cooperation is scheduled for August. He reportedly invited a Taliban representative to attend and speak at the upcoming event, though the location of the planned conference was not disclosed. As of now, no information about the event appears on the AACC’s official website or social media platforms.

The AACC previously held a conference in Kabul on 6 September 2023, titled “Afghanistan Trade and Economic Relations,” which marked Grieco’s first visit to the country since the Taliban’s return to power. During that visit, he met with Taliban Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and representatives from the private sector.

In Saturday’s statement, the Taliban-controlled central bank claimed that Afghanistan’s banking sector has made “significant progress” in bilateral financial relations over the past three years. The bank also asserted that access to financing for Afghan citizens has increased by 71 percent.

Deputy Governor Khalid further claimed that total bank deposits reached approximately 8 billion Afghanis over the past three months.

The Taliban continue to seek greater international engagement, particularly in trade and finance, amid ongoing sanctions and restrictions on Afghanistan’s banking system following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021.