Exclusive-Taliban launch charm offensive with Afghan banks amid funding fears

A money changer holds a stack of Afghan currency on a street in central Kabul April 2, 2014. REUTERS/Tim Wimborne/Files

LONDON (Reuters) - The new, Taliban-appointed head of Afghanistan's central bank has sought to reassure banks the group wants a fully-functioning financial system, but has so far provided little detail on how it will supply funds to sustain it, said four bankers familiar with the matter.

The acting central bank governor, Haji Mohammad Idris, met members of the Afghanistan Banks Association and other bankers this week, and told them that the Taliban viewed the banking sector as imperative, said two bankers who attended the meeting.