Country Awards for Excellence 2020: Asia

Afghanistan Best bank: Afghanistan International Bank

There’s something hopeful about Afghanistan International Bank’s (AIB) name. The Kabul-based bank is very much a domestic lender, with 37 branches scattered across 11 provinces.

But while it has no international operations, it is outward facing. Its shareholders include the International Finance Corporation and it is the only Afghan lender able to offer international transfer services to most countries.

AIB’s systemic importance grew in 2019, when Standard Chartered withdrew completely from the market, leaving it as the only onshore lender able to transmit dollar payments to non-central Asian states.