Taliban & Iranian Officials Discuss Banking Cooperation

Noor Ahmad Agha, the head of the Taliban’s central bank, met with Ali Reza Bekdeli, Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan, to discuss enhanced banking collaboration between the two nations.

During the meeting, Agha highlighted the importance of expanding banking ties for fostering trade and pledged his administration’s full cooperation.

According to a press release issued by the Taliban’s central bank on Sunday, the discussions centred on boosting trade, facilitating banking services, and advancing electronic banking systems. Agha emphasised the crucial role of electronic banking in promoting trade development, adding that Afghanistan’s central bank is committed to modernising its financial system by learning from international best practices.

The Iranian ambassador also underscored the importance of strengthening trade and banking relations and assured Iran’s comprehensive support in this regard.

In November 2024, the Taliban administration announced that bilateral trade with Iran had surpassed $1.8 billion. According to a report by the Bakhtar News Agency, the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, under Taliban oversight, disclosed that within the past seven months, Afghanistan had exported $30 million worth of goods to Iran while importing nearly $1.8 billion worth of Iranian products. Currently, Afghanistan ranks as the sixth-largest market for Iranian exports.