Afghan central bank says no formal notification yet on asset freeze

KABUL: Da Afghanistan Bank (DBA) on Sunday said the central bank has so far not received any formal notification concerning freezing of its assets.

“So far, Da Afghanistan Bank has not received any formal notification pertaining to the freezing of monetary reserves of this bank and the bank has been informed of it through the news published by the media of the country based on the reports of foreign media,” the bank said in a statement posted on its website.

The statement came after thousands of customers had waited in long lines to withdraw their savings since Taliban takeover in mid-August.

Reports of freezing of Afghanistan’s bank assets by the United States as well as the announced halt of funds by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have fueLled concerns among Afghans.

On August 28, the DBA issued an order to all banks in the Central Asian country setting a weekly limit of withdrawals of $200 or 20,000 afghanis for a customer.

“Da Afghanistan Bank assures the noble people of Afghanistan of the safety of their deposits in commercial banks,” the DBA said in the statement issued Sunday, adding that these banks are operating in accordance with the procedure it has issued and their services will soon return to normal.